OC AOT Open House

On June 1, the Orange County Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program in Santa Ana, California, welcomed the community to celebrate at their open house hosted in their new facility.

Guests included the AOT judge, county counsel, public defender's office, members and their loved ones, a representative from First District Supervisor Andrew Do's office, and other Telecare program staff. 

The open house featured a fun photo booth and a slideshow with information about the program's success, staff, and highlighted a few of the program participants. "The open house had a great turnout," said Administrator Anna Bowes. "We look forward to continue servicing the communities in Orange County!"

Telecare's Orange County AOT program opened in November 2014 and expanded in July 2016. This community-based program is based on the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model and prescribed for adults with serious mental illness who are experiencing repeated hospitalizations or incarcerations, but are not engaging in treatment. AOT services include intensive case management, housing assistance, vocational and educational services, medication support and education, co-occurring services, and 24/7 support and availability.

Orange County Assisted Outpatient Treatment

California's Laura's Law

Video: A staff member at Telecare's Assisted Outpatient Treatment program in Orange County talks to a client. Watch the video of his day at the program here. 

Orange County was the third in the state to implement Laura's Law in May 2014. This law specifically pertains to individuals in California who are experiencing frequent mental health-related challenges that are not being treated, and as a result can end up cycling through emergency rooms, contacts with the legal system, or symptoms can become so severe they are a danger to themselves or others. Laura’s Law enables the mental health department and the court system to become involved in a more proactive way, which sometimes leads to a person being court-ordered into treatment in an Assisted Outpatient Treatment program. The goal of the program is to ensure people get the proper care that they need and not fall through the cracks.

"Our community in Orange County is fortunate to have Laura’s Law. To have Orange County be one of the leading counties in Laura’s Law shows how important this is," said Anna Bowes, Administrator at Telecare’s Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program.

The AOT program saw its first member graduate on August 8, 2015. "The AOT program let me know that I’m not alone," he said. "I learned a lot about structure, having something to do, and showing up every day to do it. Mostly, just knowing that I’m not alone with the illness."
  
The hard work does not go unnoticed. Orange County Judge Gerald Johnston praised Telecare and the AOT program for all their hard work. "Telecare provides the kind of outreach that is necessary to effectively serve this population. I have nothing but admiration for the mission and the implementation that I see by Telecare."
 

Telecare’s Court-Ordered Program Roundup

A complete list of our court-ordered programs can be found here.