By Brian Bock, PharmD, RPh

Clinical Director, Hayat Pharmacy

Published May 2026

For behavioral health providers, the road from diagnosis to long-term stability is often paved with complex medication regimens that are difficult for patients to navigate alone. We know that medication adherence is the cornerstone of positive outcomes, yet significant barriers—from transportation challenges to system fragmentation—often lead to a sobering reality. Roughly 65% of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) do not adhere to their prescribed medications, a gap that frequently results in avoidable relapse and hospitalization. ¹

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about 269,000 adults in Wisconsin experience an SMI each year, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression—conditions for which long-acting injectable (LAI) medications are often prescribed. For these community members, we believe the role of pharmacy must evolve from dispenser to frontline partner.

Enhancing Clinical Visibility Through Community Care

One of the most significant innovations in pharmacy-led behavioral health is happening right in southeast Wisconsin. Hayat Pharmacy’s specialized in-home (LAI) program brings scheduled injection services directly to the patient. By expanding therapeutic care from the clinic to the community, we treat individuals with behavioral health needs where they are most comfortable, while addressing pervasive issues with accessibility to specialized psychiatric and addiction treatments.

When we treat patients in their typical, familiar environment (eg, private home, assisted living facility, adult family home, or group home), our licensed pharmacists and registered nurses gain real-time insights that aren’t always visible during a 15-minute clinic encounter. We monitor the patient’s medication response and tolerability while identifying environmental or social triggers that could affect their ongoing stability.

This community model allows us to act as your “eyes and ears” in the field. We provide structured clinical feedback via National Institute for Health and Care Excellence forms after every visit, ensuring you have real-world data for your next evaluation. This longitudinal view also allows us to provide holistic preventative care alongside the injection, such as blood pressure checks and vaccine administration. By addressing comorbid factors and social determinants of health, such as food or housing instability, we help you build a more complete understanding of patients’ needs.

Data-Driven Outcomes for Risk Intervention

Community-based LAI administration is not just a convenience; it is an evidence-based model for success. Recent data show that, on average, in-home LAI administration reduces medication adherence failure by 38% and lowers rehospitalization rates to 28.8%, compared to over 40% in traditional clinic-based settings.² 

LAIs are also linked to a 23% lower risk of nonsuicidal mortality compared with oral treatment.³ Unlike oral medications that often require daily dosing, LAIs are administered every two weeks to several months, supporting improved adherence. Steady therapeutic levels, combined with pharmacy-schedule administration, can help reduce the risk of “loss to follow-up” in populations facing SMI, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Beyond clinical metrics, we recognize the heavy administrative burden LAIs can place on psychiatrists and managed care groups. Our team is skilled at navigating the complexities of specialty medications, which is why we manage the entire logistics process—from securing prior authorizations to coordinating delivery.

Curbing Crisis and Supporting the Caregiver

As the mental healthcare crisis deepens, its impact extends far beyond the patient. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, caregivers are the “most powerful influence” on prevention and recovery, yet they face severe strain as the public system struggles to meet demand.⁴ 

In addition to navigating complex transit to clinics, caregivers are often overwhelmed with administering daily pills or securing hard-to-find medications that traditional pharmacies don’t carry. Research shows that caregivers of individuals with substance use or mental health disorders are significantly more likely to report poor mental health, depression, and binge drinking compared to those caring for individuals with purely physical or age-related conditions.⁵

By transitioning to a scheduled, in-home LAI model, we can help alleviate this burden, fostering a more stable environment for both the patient and their support system. Should a crisis arise, we can mobilize quickly to initiate therapy or deliver emergency injections, providing a critical layer of intervention. This hands-on approach is designed to overcome medical mistrust and provide caregivers with the confidence that a professional safety net is in place.

The Urgency of Now: Pharmacists are Quality Multipliers for Providers

In Wisconsin, the behavioral health landscape is currently defined by two colliding forces: an unprecedented surge in demand and a critical shortage of providers to meet it. Since 2023, we have doubled the size of our clinical team to meet the growing need for integrated behavioral health support. More recently, we extended our in-home LAI coverage beyond Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Service areas now include Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, and Kenosha. 

Other local pharmacies may offer LAI medications, but they are typically only provided on-site. While injection services are available at all of Hayat’s 18 community pharmacies, more than 95% of our LAI patients prefer home injections to in-clinic injections, according to 2025 patient usage data. Our LAI team currently averages approximately 65 per week. This rare pharmacy offering serves as a quality multiplier for treatment plans, ensuring that the medications prescribed reach the patients who need them most.

By bringing specialty, scheduled care directly into the community, we operate as a clinical extension of providers, creating a critical lifeline for our region’s most vulnerable residents. 

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