Providing access to care, in reality not just on paper, is a win-win for individuals and for the community. 

Studies have shown that court-ordered involumtary Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is most effective when it includes a range of medication and psychosocial services equal to those provided in Assertive Community Treatment or intensive case management. 

Thus, the state should ensure that adequate resources are available to provide such intensive treatment to those under commitment and to the much larger number of health plan members who are agreeable but unable to access mental health care. Without this, AOT is unethical.

Please MHAH, for the sake of those of us struggling with mental illness, start demanding that all Hawaii health plans fulfill their basic legal obligations to maintain adequate provider networks and access to care.  Without this, AOT and other reforms are unlikely to succeed.

See:
http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2016.12a16