The New York Times (7/30, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that an analysis published in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found that New York’s controversial Kendra’s Law, which requires patients with severe mental illness “to receive treatment when they are not hospitalized, has had positive results,” leading to reductions in readmissions, arrests, and increased medication compliance, and associated mental health and Medicaid costs have dropped by more than half. The program costs New York State $32 million annually to treat around 2,000 to 2,500 court ordered patients each year, providing “intensive monitoring by caseworkers,” and an additional “$125 million a year for enhanced outpatient mental health services for others.”
Related Links:
— “Program Compelling Outpatient Treatment for Mental Illness Is Working, Study Says, ” Pam Belluck, The New York Times, July 30, 2013.