On The Road with the Implementation Team
By Treatment Advocacy Center News
Treatment Advocacy Center’s Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Implementation Team hit the road this month. Policy Director Brian Stettin, Project Manager Amy Lukes and Implementation Specialist Betsy Johnson traveled to El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, N.Mex. and Albuquerque, N.Mex. to meet with AOT programs and provide technical assistance.
Their first stop, El Paso, Texas, was a success, where they heard from two AOT participants, met with the full team and saw hearings in the afternoon. The hearings took place partially in Spanish to accommodate AOT participants and their loved ones. There, the Treatment Advocacy Center trio was lucky enough to witness an AOT graduation ceremony. The AOT graduate brought his wife, mother and his uncle. In an emotional address, his mother spoke to the entire team and thanked them for giving her her son back.
Our trio conducted trainings in both Las Cruces and Albuquerque, N.Mex. Judges, attorneys, treatment providers and evaluators came together to hear from the Implementation Team on how to best put together a program. Then our team put together a mock AOT hearing that depicted the court’s consideration of whether an individual met the legal criteria to be placed under AOT, followed by a mock status check with the same individual a few weeks later. 
They were also able to have some fun on the road. When you see a town named Truth or Consequences, you must stop and check it out!
To get in touch with the Implementation Team and learn more about AOT, visit our website here.