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Erie County reports fewer hospitalizations and jail stays among 12 AOT participants
Summary
Erie County officials told commissioners on Feb. 23 that a SAMHSA-funded Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program for 12 people has coincided with a drop in hospitalizations (66 to 8) and jail days (76 to 0); the program can serve up to 40 people per year of the grant.
Erie County Commissioners heard an update on Feb. 23 about a new Assisted Outpatient Treatment program that county officials said has reduced hospitalizations and jail stays for enrolled participants.
Magistrate Tom Dusza and Grant and Special Funds Coordinator Sheena Lutz told the board that Probate Court received a four-year federal SAMHSA grant in October 2024 to fund an AOT program serving people with serious mental illness in the community. The program partners with Firelands Regional Medical Center, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Sandusky Artisans Recovery Community Center, the Health Department and the Sheriff’s Office.
Lutz presented data showing that the 12 people currently enrolled had 66 hospitalizations totaling 415 days before AOT; during AOT there were eight hospitalizations totaling 66 days. She said 58 of the 66 in-treatment days during AOT were attributable to a single individual who remained hospitalized while a guardian and a temporary group-home placement were arranged. Dusza and Lutz said the program has seen no new arrests or jail stays among those 12 participants; before AOT the same group had served a total of 76 days in jail.
Lutz told the commissioners the SAMHSA grant primarily covers personnel rather than hospitalization costs; those costs are typically covered by Firelands Regional Medical Center and Medicaid. She told the board that case managers help participants identify and access resources.
Dusza credited the county's MORE (Mobile Outreach Rapid Engagement) Program, led by Deputy Chad Henderson, with helping to prevent crises and connect people to services before situations escalate to hospitalization or incarceration. When Commissioner Shenigo asked whether the program could expand beyond 12 people, Dusza said the program is budgeted to serve up to 40 people per grant year and that participation is voluntary and subject to eligibility criteria.
The commissioners thanked Dusza, Lutz and Deputy Clerk Susie Cheek for the update. The presentation did not include proposed changes to county policy or new funding requests beyond the existing grant.
