A Versatile Prison Psychiatric Pharmacy Program

BACKGROUND: Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, 20% of the adult population in the United States experienced mental illness annually. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 93% of countries have reported disruptions to mental health services. The demand for services is high whereas infrastructure and qualified professionals are appallingly low. Health care in the correctional setting is unique, where mental illness prevalence is double than that in the community. The intersection of policies and procedures and the beneficence plus nonmaleficence responsibility of health care professionals is exceptionally complex. Studies have shown the potential benefits of pharmacists following patients in chronic care psychiatry visits. OBJECTIVES: An inpatient psychiatric pharmacy clinic was launched to fill gaps to provide safe and up-to-date patient-centric services for more than 240 extremely psychiatrically ill inmate patients at the Federal Correctional Center Butner (FCC Butner), a Federal Bureau of Prisons medical center. METHODS: The inpatient psychiatric pharmacist practiced independently under a collaborative practice agreement and completed mental health clinical visits for a revolving portion of 240 inpatient mental health inmate patients at FCC Butner. The pharmacist provided ancillary services including completing movement disorder testing, monitoring narrow therapeutic index medication laboratory test results, and executing an antipsychotic psychoeducation meeting with other health care departments and inmate patients. RESULTS: Notably, 74% of patients monitored in the specialty program experienced stable or improved symptoms of depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Adverse effects, particularly psychiatric-related movement disorders, were also more closely managed. Finally, 43% of the total inmate patient population who previously declined psychiatric medication treatment consented to begin treatment after participation in a pilot antipsychotic psychoeducation meeting. CONCLUSION: The inpatient psychiatric pharmacy program at FCC Butner is a dynamic program that has bolstered the facility’s health care mission. The services detailed in this article can be applied to other correctional environments that have a medical outpatient or inpatient presence.