PITTSBURGH — A new program in Allegheny County is the first of its kind throughout the commonwealth. It aims to give people who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse issues a more successful option to recover.
“It just creates an additional option for family members, health care providers. So if they’re concerned about their loved one or someone that they’re working with, they can petition for additional assistance for this person,” Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Erin Dalton said.
Erin Dalton is talking about Assisted Outpatient Treatment or AOT. It’s a civil order that aims to keep people, oftentimes with mental illness and substance abuse issues, out of criminal court.
“Too often, the courts, with no other options in their mind, do incarcerate people so that they can get to care and treatment. We don’t want that to happen; we want people and the courts to feel like they have another option,” Dalton added.
PA Law gave the go-ahead in 2018 for counties to try AOT, but no one has until now, with Allegheny County being the first to implement it starting January 1, 2026.
“With the 302 laws, the process is different and we’re seeking involuntary care there, and it’s inpatient care. Here, the assessment can be involuntary, but the treatment is outpatient, so people don’t need to go into a hospital,” Dalton explained.
Dalton says more than 5,000 people in Allegheny County are evaluated for involuntary hospitalization yearly and the outcomes are jarring, with fewer than half getting follow-up outpatient care after their hospitalization and 20% dying within 5 years. Dalton says she and others are hopeful that AOT will help.
“Having that continued follow through on the outside can mean that people can get to those next appointments, can mean that people stay on medications longer, can mean that people get essentially get their lives back,” Dalton said.
An AOT advisory committee will meet quarterly over the next year to assess the program, Dalton explained.
Opponents have expressed concerns over patient rights. Dalton says every individual gets legal due process and medical oversight via state law.
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