(July 14, 2017) Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), court-supervised treatment within the community, is succeeding in cities, counties and states across the country. Now federal lawmakers are stepping up and further affirming their support of AOT. First, some background.
After years of hard work by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey and the Treatment Advocacy Center, the federal government last year allocated $15 million for assisted outpatient treatment demonstration projects around the United States. One of the communities that received these first-ever federal AOT demonstration grants is Las Cruces, New Mexico.
At a behavioral health summit this week in Las Cruces, Brian Stettin, the policy director, Treatment Advocacy Center, spoke about the benefits of AOT. “It serves a relatively small number of clients with big needs who tend to use a disproportionately large number of resources,” Brian noted. One issue is the revolving door of the county detention center. "We're trying to create a pathway out of jail." (“Effort to help residents with severe mental illness kicks off,” Las Cruces Sun-News, July 13, 2017).
Back in Washington, DC, members of the House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill. Even in a difficult funding year, we are extremely pleased to note that the committee recognized the value of AOT by including full funding for the AOT demonstration grant program.
It was not long ago that seeing such support of AOT would have been considered impossible. But thanks to the tireless work of Dr. Torrey, our team here at the Treatment Advocacy Center, and all of you, we are making the impossible a reality.
Please consider a donation to the Torrey Action Fund to honor Dr. Torrey's life work to eliminate barriers on behalf of those too ill to advocate for themselves.
