NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Three New Mexico counties are implementing a new behavioral treatment program seeking to help people who fail to voluntarily get mental health treatment. The Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program is now being used in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos counties.
The program helps people who have been hospitalized or jailed because they do not seek treatment on their own and continue their violent behavior. Under the new program, family members, behavioral health providers, and others can request a court order to require the person to get community-based treatment.
The district court introduced the AOT program in January but will officially launch it this Friday.