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Abstract #157541

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Steve Huz, PhD¹, Emily Leckman-Westin, PhD², Molly Finnerty, MD², Anthony Mancini, PhD³, Bruce Link, PhD⁴, and Dorothy Castille, PhD⁴. (1) Bureau of Adult Services Evaluation Research, New York State Office of Mental Health, 44 Holland Ave., Albany, NY 12229, 518-473-9559, coevsjh@omh.state.ny.us, (2) Bureau of Adult Services Reseach, New York State Office of Mental Health, 44 Holland Ave, Albany, NY 12208, (3) Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College Columbia University, Box 102, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, (4) Epidemiology of Mental Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 172 W 168th Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10032

In 1999, Kendra's Law established court-ordered Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) in New York State for individuals who are determined to be at-risk of having difficulty living safely in the community without close monitoring and mandatory participation in treatment. Kendra's Law has been the subject of an often passionate debate among advocates some of whom contend that mandates to provide treatment should be placed on the system and not individuals. Findings from New York State's evaluation of Kendra's Law have shown positive outcomes for recipients who receive services under a court-ordered treatment plan. However, the impact of Kendra's Law on provider behavior has not been explored.

Since court-ordered AOT was implemented, the percentage of court-ordered treatment plans that include Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services increased from 10% (n=59) of all court orders issued in 2000 to 31% (n=696) in 2006. In all, 2389 court-ordered treatment plans have mandated ACT services for individuals.

This presentation provides findings from New York State's evaluation of ACT with a particular focus on the impact of AOT on intervention strategies used by staff. Analyses conducted from data collected on 30 ACT teams in NYS showed a significant association between the proportion of individuals under an AOT court order served by an ACT team and use of positive engagement strategies (beta = 1.547, se= 0.64; p < 0.05) Findings on the impact of AOT on the use of various intervention strategies and implications of Kendra's Law as mental health policy for individuals and providers will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Describe Kendra’s Law in New York State.
• 2.Identify intervention strategies used by Assertive Community Treatment teams in providing services to individuals with serious mental illness.
• 3.Articulate issues associated with the debate around involuntary outpatient commitment.
• 4.Discuss issues surrounding involuntary outpatient commitment and public mental health policy in New York State.

Keywords: Mental Health Services,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout