Basic Information
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Mission and Background
New York State enacted legislation that provides for involuntary outpatient commitment to community-based mental health services, also known as Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) or "Kendra's Law".
A small number of mental health consumers have difficulty engaging in rehabilitation and also present high risk to themselves or the community. The goal of the AOT Program is to enable these individuals to live safely in the community, avoid repeated inpatient hospitalizations, and ensure they have access to comprehensive outpatient services. Through the use of a court-ordered treatment plan, consumers have the opportunity to better engage in treatment and graduate to less restrictive mental health rehabilitation services.
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Eligibility Criteria
A person may be ordered to receive Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) if a court finds that he or she:
- is at least 18 years of age and suffers from a mental illness and
- is unlikely to survive in the community without supervision based on a clinical determination and
- has a history of non-compliance with treatment for mental illness which has led to 2 hospitalizations for mental illness in the preceding 3 years or resulted in at least 1 act of violence toward self or others, or threats of serious physical harm to self or others, within the preceding 4 years (time period may be extended in the event of current or recent hospitalizations) and
- is, as a result of his or her mental illness, unlikely to voluntarily participate in outpatient treatment that would enable him or her to live safely in the community and
- based on treatment history and current behavior, is in need of outpatient treatment to prevent a relapse or deterioration likely to result in serious harm to self or others and
- will likely benefit from Assisted Outpatient Treatment.
Contact Information
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has an AOT Program for each of the 5 boroughs of New York City. For more information, please call 311.
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