The Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program is a specialty program under the FSP level of care that provides intensive outreach and mental health services to adults 18 and over who have been determined to be unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision as defined as: unable to provide for food, clothing or shelter in a manner consistent with preservation of reasonable physical health and safety including exposure to easy victimization and/or exposure to environmental health dangers, a history of lack of compliance with treatment for his/her mental illness as demonstrated by at least one of the following: (1) mental illness has within the last 36 months, been a factor in necessitating hospitalization, or receipt of services in a forensic or other mental health unit of a state or local correctional facility (excluding hospitalization or incarceration immediately preceding the petition and (2) the person’s mental illness has resulted in one or more acts or serious and violent behavior towards him/herself or others, has been offered an opportunity to participate in a treatment plan and fails to engage in treatment, the person’s condition is deteriorating, AOT would be the least restrictive placement to support recovery and stability, the person is in need of AOT in order to prevent relapse or deterioration and it is likely that the person will benefit from AOT services.
The mental health staff act as the single fixed point of responsibility for securing and coordinating a comprehensive array of mental health, targeted case management and crisis intervention services. Services are client-centered and are based on the client’s court-ordered treatment plan or Individual Service Plan (ISP). Treatment staff have expertise in clinical and rehabilitative assessments and interventions specializing in working with adults who have a current DSM5/ICD-10 diagnosis of a major psychiatric disorder and demonstrate a need for an intensive FSP program by virtue of their history, current level of functioning and acceptance into the AOT program.
