(April 6, 2017) The Treatment Advocacy Center has announced the recipients of 2016 Torrey Advocacy Commendation, the organization’s highest honor in recognition of courageous efforts to make treatment possible for more people with severe mental illness.
The award, named for E. Fuller Torrey, MD, is given to individuals who, like Dr. Torrey himself, have exhibited courage and tenacity advocating for the right of individuals with severe mental illness to receive treatment even if they are unable to seek it.
We are delighted to recognize three individuals who worked diligently in New Mexico to make assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) a reality for individuals across the state: New Mexico State Sen. Mary Papen and US Sen. Pete Domenici and his wife Nancy Domenici.
A longtime champion of AOT, Sen. Papen repeatedly introduced bills in the state legislature that would bring this long overdue, life-saving measure to the neglected and vulnerable New Mexicans. Last year, her efforts were rewarded with the passage of SB53, the “Assisted Outpatient Treatment Act.”
US Senator Pete Domenici and his wife Nancy
During his distinguished career as New Mexico’s six-term US Senator Pete Domenici was a leading voice of mental health reform. In retirement, Sen. Domenici and his wife Nancy remained passionate advocates for people with severe mental illness and their families.
The Domenicis’ support in 2016 was crucial to New Mexico’s enactment, at long last, of AOT. They made their case in an urgent appeal to Gov. Susana Martinez, calling for her to support legislation “of great importance” to authorize AOT:
We believe AOT is an essential tool in helping certain individuals with severe mental illness live safely in the community, and we lament that New Mexico is one of only five states without such a law. … The effectiveness of AOT in improving outcomes for the most challenging patients has been widely recognized. In 2016, New Mexico became the 46th state to enact an AOT law, in part due to the leadership of the Torrey award recipients. We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to the families who told their personal stories and advocated diligently for access to treatment.
To learn more about court-supervised treatment within the community, visit Promoting AOT.