NEWS RELEASE
[NASHVILLE, TN – February 17, 2025] – The Tennessee Professional Screening Questionnaire (TN-PSQ), a free anonymous and confidential online mental health resource, has been opened to Tennessee pharmacy professionals effective January 2025. The change is the result of an agreement between the Tennessee Medical Foundation (TMF) and the Tennessee Pharmacy Recovery Network (TPRN) to allow access by an estimated 38,000 TN pharmacy professionals, both licensed and in training.
The TMF is especially excited to make the announcement during the fifth anniversary of the TN-PSQ.
“Since its launch in February 2020, the TN-PSQ has helped nearly 900 health professionals across Tennessee, more than 20 percent of whom had suicidal ideations. Although it is difficult to quantify the exact number of physician and other healthcare provider lives saved from suicide as this tool is anonymous and confidential, we know that any life saved is significant. So, we are happy to share this support tool with our colleagues licensed by the Board of Pharmacy as of this year,” said TMF Medical Director Michael Baron, MD, MPH, DFASAM.
“Pharmacy professionals including student pharmacists continue to struggle with stress, burnout, and other mental health challenges. When I learned about the opportunity for pharmacy professionals to have access to this potentially lifesaving tool, I reached out to several members of the TPRN Advocacy Committee and members of the pharmacy community who support TPRN’s mental health efforts,” said TPRN Program Director Nancy Hooper, DPh. “We are incredibly grateful to all who generously donated to the TPRN to make it possible for Tennessee’s pharmacy professionals to have access to this free, anonymous screening tool,” she added.
The Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) will share the TN-PSQ with its members and the pharmacy community at large to help address rising rates of burnout, depression, and suicide among pharmacists, pharmacy techs and assistants, and students/trainees.
The Tennessee Board of Pharmacy will also have a role in helping to share the TN-PSQ with its licensees. “We at the Board of Pharmacy are in full support of all the efforts taken to protect and prevent mental health issues across our profession. We will work closely with both TPRN and TMF to promote access to the TN-PSQ,” said Board President Richard Breeden, PharmD, BCNSP, BCPS.
About the TN-PSQ
The TN-PSQ was developed with approval of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners (BME), the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA), and State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company (SVMIC) to be used by health professionals served by the TMF: physicians, physician assistants, chiropractors, podiatrists, x-ray technicians, veterinarians, surgical assistants, respiratory therapists, midwives, and clinical perfusionists, along with as students, residents, interns, and other trainees for these professions. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, assistants, and students, who are not under the charge of the TMF, are now welcome to access the site to conduct a self-screen with optional anonymous interaction with a mental health professional.
The screening tool is intended to help Tennessee healthcare workers overcome stigma and barriers to seeking mental health care. Utilizing the Interactive Screening Program (ISP) platform developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the 35-question encrypted, confidential self-screening tool takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It is strictly a NON-crisis service measuring distress ranging from burnout and anxiety to clinical depression and suicidal ideation. Users submit their screening and receive a tiered-response message from a mental health professional (MHP) with the option to dialogue anonymously for further help and referrals.
To date more than 890 health professionals have utilized the site to receive an anonymous mental health self-screen. More than half scored with high distress, including 21% with suicidal risk; 82% were not already receiving help for their stated concern.
Learn More
For more information about TN-PSQ history and outcomes, contact Brenda Williams-Denbo at brendaw@e-tmf.org. Take the screening on the TN-PSQ website at tn.providerwellness.org; tnpharm.org/member-center/tprn; or e-tmf.org/tnpsq.
About TMF
The Tennessee Medical Foundation oversees the Physician’s Health Program, a specialized recovery program for physicians and other health professionals across the state struggling with or impaired by addictive disease, mental, behavioral, or emotional illness. Visit the TMF website.
About TPRN
The Tennessee Pharmacy Recovery Network is a program of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, offering confidential peer assistance and mental health support for all Tennessee pharmacy professionals and students at risk for substance use disorder due to stress, burnout, and easy access to potentially impairing medications. Visit the TPRN website.