Treatment Advocacy Center Launches New Limited Series Podcast, The Way Forward, on the Extraordinary Success of Assisted Outpatient Treatment in Ohio
The Way Forward features judges, advocates and doctors proving that assisted outpatient treatment is a way to free those with severe mental illness.
June 16, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Geoffrey Melada, director of communications
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Arlington, Va. – The Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit that advocates for the elimination of barriers to effective treatment for individuals with severe mental illness, is excited to release The Way Forward – a four-part limited series podcast highlighting assisted outpatient treatment programs in Ohio.
Ohio is demonstrating to the rest of the country that assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) is the future of mental health care in the United States for people with severe mental illness who qualify. AOT is the way to escape the revolving door that so many people with severe mental illness are stuck in. Instead of cycling through emergency rooms, prisons and jails, and the streets, people with severe mental illness deserve treatment. The Way Forward features judges, advocates and doctors proving that AOT is a way to free those with severe mental illness, so they can have their life and independence back.
The debut episode, Assisted Outpatient Treatment: A lifesaver?, explains what AOT is and how exactly it can help people with SMI. In the second episode, AOT Champions, you will learn from an AOT advocate and how you can start an AOT program in your home. AOT Inside the Courtroom, the third episode, brings listeners into a courtroom in Ohio’s Lorain County to show how an AOT program really works. The last episode, AOT Success Stories, highlights people who have graduated from AOT programs and regained their independence.
Guests include Butler County’s Judge Randy Rogers; chief of psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Dr. Mark Munetz; executive director of NAMI Richland County, Mary Kay Pierce; Lorain County’s Judge James Walther and Columbus AOT team supervisor, Jeanne Levy.
This podcast was sponsored by Ohio’s own Peg’s Foundation and produced by Emmy Award-winning journalist Bill Retherford.
“Treatment Advocacy Center is working toward the day when every community in the nation has an assisted outpatient treatment program, and Ohio is at the forefront of that mission,” said Lisa Dailey, acting executive director of Treatment Advocacy Center.
Added Dailey: “Ohio has effectively implemented many active AOT programs and has successfully cared for some of the most vulnerable people in their state. We praise Ohio’s judges, advocates, medical officials and AOT staff for working so tirelessly to help those who cannot help themselves. Now, let’s get Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts to follow Ohio’s lead.”
The Way Forward premiers today, June 16, on our website, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
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The Treatment Advocacy Center is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness by promoting laws, policies and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supporting the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
