TAC ED appointed to NY AOT panel

Mary Zdanowicz, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, has been appointed by the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health to serve on a special quality assurance panel that will work to even further improve New York’s stunningly successful assisted outpatient treatment law, known as Kendra’s Law.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to help make a great program even better,” said Zdanowicz, who is an attorney and a nationally known and respected legal expert on assisted outpatient treatment. “It is important to support and promote proven programs like AOT. The creation of this panel is another phase in New York's continuing work to ensure that AOT can continue to save lives while improving the overall system."

The panel will be chaired by Pat Webdale, mother of Kendra, for whom the law is named.

"I speak for my entire family when I say that we applaud the formation of a quality improvement panel focused on Assisted Outpatient Treatment, and I am honored to serve as the panel's chairwoman," said Pat Webdale. "Kendra's Law has proven to make a positive difference in the lives of many persons suffering from a serious mental illness. As more research becomes available, it is apparent that every human being has a stake in mental health issues. The formation of this panel will assure that we will progress in making AOT as viable as possible."

Among other things, assisted outpatient treatment:

• Reduces homelessness, psychiatric hospitalizations, arrests, incarceration, and harmful behavior, and improves treatment compliance
• Reduces caregiver strain
• Is retroactively endorsed by participants

Other newly appointed panelists include:

• Pat Webdale, mother of Kendra and board member of NAMI New York
• Mary E. Barber, MD, Clinical and Medical Director of Ulster Co. Mental Health Department
• Brian Stettin, Asst. Attorney General in the Public Integrity Unit, New York State Attorney General’s Office