The Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) received notification of a four year grant award from SAMHSA for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT). Prior to this funding, AOT services existed only in Southern Nevada. The grant award has allowed AOT to be expanded to include individuals residing in Washoe County, Nevada. The new AOT program is housed at Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services (NNAMHS) in Sparks, Nevada.

AOT is an involuntary civil commitment program designed to deliver comprehensive community-based mental health services to individuals with persistent and serious mental illness who have a history of non-compliance with voluntary treatment for their mental health issues and who have failed at attempts in less-restrictive treatment programs. Individuals participating in AOT must be able to safely live in the community with the support of the AOT program.

“A central component of AOT is the establishment of a written outpatient treatment plan which is then presented to the court to obtain court orders for approved individuals to receive outpatient treatment,” said Cody Phinney, DPBH Administrator. “AOT services include medication management and support; mental health treatment; housing support; and other services (e.g., transportation, vocational, substance abuse treatment).”

NNAMHS AOT admitted the first court-ordered individuals into the program in January 2017, and welcomes referrals of individuals who meet criteria for the program. Information on NNAMHS AOT is available in English and Spanish on the DPBH NNAMHS AOT website:
http://dpbh.nv.gov/Programs/NNAMHS-AOT/NNAMHS_Assisted_Outpatient_Treatment_AOT/

For more information on AOT across the nation, and NNAMHS AOT in action:
http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/fixing-the-system/features-and-news/3777-aot-grant-funds-put-to-work-in-reno

This was a competitive process in which 17 grants were awarded. To access the grant announcement go to http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-16-011.