What is an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program?
The program aims to address a crucial need by concentrating on individuals who have difficulties adhering to treatment and may be a danger to themselves or others due to conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression. These individuals often have their daily functioning severely impaired, resulting in a history of non-adherence to voluntary mental health treatments, including medication and therapy. Many have had multiple hospitalizations or interactions with the criminal justice system because of their untreated conditions.
Strategic and Collaborative Effort.
The initiative is spearheaded by a diverse group that includes the Erie County Common Pleas Court, the ADAMHS Board, Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services, Serving Our Seniors, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The key components of Erie County's AOT Program are:
1.Identify individuals within the service area who seem to be consistently non-compliant with necessary treatment for their mental illness and meet the criteria for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) under state law.
2. It is crucial that when such individuals are identified, the mental health system takes the initiative to collect the necessary evidence and petition the court for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), instead of depending on community members to undertake this responsibility.
3. It is crucial to maintain transparent communication channels between the court and the treatment team to ensure the court obtains the necessary clinical information to appropriately exercise its authority, and the treatment team can utilize the court's authority as required.
4. Offer evidence-based treatment services aimed at engagement and assisting participants in maintaining stability and safety within the community.
5. Ensure that upon transitioning out of the program, each participant remains connected to the treatment services they continue to need to maintain stability and safety.