Thanks too for your great leadership as sponsor of Daniel鈥檚 Law and related pilots being launched across our state that will send out peer/mental health and EMT workers in place of police to respond to people in crisis.

We look forward to your strong support in a consideration of Kendra鈥檚 Law that will reject the use of involuntary outpatient treatment orders in next year鈥檚 legislative session!

Here鈥檚 the statement that Senator Brouk posted on Facebook last week:

鈥淎s Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee, I have long fought to expand voluntary mental health services in NYS. When changes were made to 糖心动漫vlog State’s Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program, I stood by mental health advocates and fought for an independent review of these court mandated services. Now, initial results from this report released by the Office of Mental Health reveal voluntary services greatly improve outcomes for individuals who need mental health services.

As we continue to review these findings, I encourage everyone to read the report to learn how evidence-based interventions can provide transformative care for those who need it most. My office will continue to work with OMH and advocates to determine how we can best implement recommendations from the report to protect individuals in our mental health system.

Read the report:

The post Senate MH Committee Chair Brouk Hails Study Findings in Support of Voluntary Services appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

One of the many reasons to attend the 2026 Alliance Conference is the opportunity to learn from leaders who are redefining the future of peer support.

What happens when lived experience is not just valued, but becomes the driving force behind innovation? Join nationally recognized peer leader Cherene Caraco for an inspiring session that demonstrates how the Promise Resource Center is transforming services through peer leadership, creativity, and bold thinking.

The 2026 Alliance Conference is where innovation meets action. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the field’s most forward-thinking peer leaders, connect with colleagues from across the country, and return home inspired to build the next generation of peer-led services.

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

The post Alliance Conference Plenary Spotlight: A Culture of Peer Innovations appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

This important conversation will continue at our 44th Annual Conference this September, where we’ll host a panel examining the findings of the AOT evaluation, what they mean for the future of 糖心动漫vlog’s mental health system, and the policy changes needed to expand voluntary, recovery-oriented services across the state. We hope you’ll join us for this timely discussion.

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

A major report commissioned by 糖心动漫vlog State recommended that the state focus on expanding pathways to voluntary services instead of AOT. 

Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or AOT, allows a court to order a person with a significant mental health disability to follow a treatment plan while living in the community.

The report found ongoing concerns about fairness, voice, agency, dignity, and autonomy throughout the AOT process. It also found that voluntary intensive services were not always clearly explained to people considered eligible for AOT, suggesting that court-mandated treatment is being used more often than necessary.

鈥淥ur findings suggest that enhancing voluntary service pathways could produce similar outcomes without the attendant harms,” the study reads. 

The report鈥檚 first recommendation is to strengthen and prioritize voluntary services, ensure access is not tied to AOT status, and support continuity of care.

The clearest and most consistent finding is that positive outcomes come from access to needed services – all of which can be provided voluntarily with comparable results.

The post Expanding Voluntary Services: A Critical Conversation at Our Annual Conference! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

Whether you’re joining us in Albany this September or supporting the Alliance from wherever you are, our conference merchandise is a great way to show your Alliance pride before, during, and after the conference.

From comfortable t-shirts and cozy sweatshirts to tote bags, tumblers, candles, and more – there’s something for everyone. Pick up your favorite items before the conference so you can wear your Alliance pride throughout the event and continue representing the movement long after the conference ends!

Visit today to browse the collection and place your order. We can’t wait to see our community sporting their Our Movement, Our Moment gear at this year’s conference!

Not yet registered for the conference? Use the links below to complete your registration and book your hotel rooms today! 

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

The post Gear Up for Conference: Shop the Official Alliance 2026 Conference Collection! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

And

The post Join The Alliance’s August Employment Webinars: Job Finding Hacks to Uncover Opportunities! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

The Alliance for Rights and Recovery believes that state agencies, community providers, and local organizations must work together to ensure people receive individualized assistance. This means helping people determine whether they qualify for an exemption, connecting those who are able and interested with employment opportunities, supporting enrollment in education or training programs, and identifying meaningful volunteer opportunities that satisfy the new federal requirements. Success should not be measured by how many notices are mailed, but by how many people are able to maintain the healthcare coverage they need.

Simply sending letters, emails, text messages, or automated phone calls will not be enough. Many Medicaid recipients face housing instability, language barriers, disabilities, or other challenges that make navigating complex government systems difficult. We must invest in trusted messengers, including peer specialists, community health workers, family support providers, and community-based organizations, who can meet people where they are, answer questions, and walk alongside them throughout the process. These trusted relationships have repeatedly proven to be one of the most effective ways to connect people with services, and they will be just as essential during this transition.

The Alliance will continue working closely with 糖心动漫vlog State, providers, advocates, and our community partners to ensure implementation places the least possible burden on Medicaid members and that every effort is made to prevent eligible individuals from losing coverage because of paperwork, confusion, or administrative barriers.

These issues will be front and center at our 2026 Annual Conference, where attendees can participate in workshops examining the latest federal policy changes, including Medicaid and other system changes, and discuss practical strategies for how our community can respond. We’ll also feature a panel on 糖心动漫vlog’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver, highlighting the progress made through Health-Related Social Needs services and exploring the state’s upcoming waiver renewal and opportunities to further strengthen community-based support. We encourage everyone invested in protecting access to healthcare and advancing recovery-oriented services to join us for these important conversations.

聽Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

Op-ed: 糖心动漫vlog鈥檚 Medicaid Crisis Won鈥檛 be Solved by Better Text Messages
By Eric Eve | Crain鈥檚 Healthcare | July 30, 2026

The passage of H.R. 1 marks the biggest change to Medicaid eligibility in years, creating new hurdles that could disrupt coverage for millions of Americans.

Across 糖心动漫vlog, healthcare organizations are preparing for the changes. Much of the conversation has focused on better portals, AI-powered outreach and smarter reminder systems.

But that鈥檚 solving the wrong problem.

The greatest threat isn鈥檛 technology. It鈥檚 trust. We are not going to text, email or robocall our way out of this.

As federal regulators begin implementing the law, many Medicaid beneficiaries will have to complete more paperwork, respond to more eligibility reviews and, in some cases, meet new work requirements to keep their coverage. For many, the greatest risk won鈥檛 be that they no longer qualify. It will be that they miss a notice, fail to complete paperwork or simply don鈥檛 understand what is required.

Technology can help people navigate that process. But it cannot replace the community relationships that determine whether people open the envelope, answer the phone or ask for help before it鈥檚 too late. That鈥檚 especially true in communities where language barriers, unstable housing and longstanding distrust of institutions already make it harder to stay connected to care.

The organizations most successful at keeping people enrolled won鈥檛 necessarily be those with the most sophisticated technology. They鈥檒l be the ones that combine digital tools with trusted community relationships.

That means partnering with pastors, imams, school counselors, pharmacists, neighborhood advocates, barbers, local business owners and community organizations that residents already know and trust. These are the people many families already turn to when they need help understanding complicated systems or making important decisions. They can explain what鈥檚 changing, answer questions and help people complete the steps needed to keep their coverage.

The stakes are high. Every avoidable coverage loss means more people delaying care until they鈥檙e sick enough to need the emergency room, leaving hospitals to absorb the cost. It also creates more disruption for health plans and more financial strain on the hospitals and community clinics that care for 糖心动漫vlog鈥檚 most vulnerable residents.

糖心动漫vlog has seen this model work before.

During the pandemic, successful vaccination campaigns relied on far more than automated reminders. Public health leaders worked through churches, schools, community organizations and neighborhood leaders because they understood that trust 鈥� not simply information 鈥� drives action. Meeting people where they were proved far more effective than relying on mass communications alone.

The coming Medicaid transition demands that same mindset.

Healthcare leaders should spend less time asking how many messages they can send and more time asking how many trusted community partnerships they can activate. Technology should strengthen those relationships 鈥� not try to replace them.

The debate over H.R. 1 is largely over. The challenge now is implementation. The organizations that keep the most people covered will be those that recognize that relationships 鈥� not reminders 鈥� drive results.

糖心动漫vlog鈥檚 Medicaid challenge won鈥檛 be solved from a call center. It will be solved through the people communities already rely on.

Eric Eve is the founder and CEO of Eve & Co. He previously served as a senior advisor to leaders across the public and private sectors in 糖心动漫vlog and nationally.

The post Protecting Medicaid Coverage Through Community Action: Join the Discussion at the Alliance Conference! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

The report’s recommendations provide 糖心动漫vlog with a clear roadmap for the future. Expanding access to intensive community services voluntarily will ensure that people receive help when they need it, where they need it, without first entering the court system. Equally important are the recommendations to strengthen due process protections, improve education about legal rights, expand independent advocacy, and ensure individuals have a meaningful voice in decisions about their own recovery. These are not simply procedural improvements. They are essential components of a recovery-oriented system that respects autonomy, dignity, and civil rights.

As the state begins implementing changes, including Enhanced Voluntary Agreements, we will be watching closely to determine whether these reforms achieve their intended purpose. The key measure of success should not simply be improvements within Kendra’s Law itself, but whether these investments reduce court orders by making voluntary, intensive services readily available. We encourage the Office of Mental Health to publicly track data on the use of Enhanced Voluntary Agreements, changes in the number of court orders issued, and the proportion of individuals who successfully receive voluntary services instead of entering the court process.

Ultimately, 糖心动漫vlog’s goal should be to build a system where Kendra’s Law is obsolete because everyone can access the services they need voluntarily. The report makes clear that recovery is driven by high-quality community-based supports, not by legal mandates. By fully implementing the report’s recommendations and continuing to invest in voluntary, person-centered services, 糖心动漫vlog has an opportunity to lead the nation in creating a system that protects both recovery and civil rights while ensuring every person receives support when and where they need it.

This conversation will continue at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery Annual Conference, where attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear directly from members of the research team that conducted this landmark evaluation, including Dr. Bevin Croft and other researchers involved in the study. During a dedicated workshop on Kendra’s Law, they will discuss the report’s findings, recommendations, and what they mean for the future of 糖心动漫vlog鈥檚 service system. The conference will also feature updates from the 糖心动漫vlog State Office of Mental Health on recent policy and program changes, providing attendees with an opportunity to engage in one of the most important conversations shaping the future of 糖心动漫vlog.

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

400 Page Report Examines Where Kendra’s Law Is Working in NYS, and Where It Isn’t
By Tom Eschen and Olivia Holloway | CBS 6 News | August 4, 2026

Albany, NY (WRGB) 鈥� 糖心动漫vlog’s court mandated mental health treatment is under the microscope, as a new 400-page independent report of Kendra’s Law found some positive outcomes, but also raising concerns about access to services, coercion and due process.

The report comes at the behest of the State legislature, commissioned by the NYS Office of Mental Health, who chose the Human Services Research Institute and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work to independently study the State’s Assisted Outpatient Treatment.

“We ended up with about two and a half years working on the project because of just formal contracting delays. The first year, approximately, was really deep end community consultation and site visits. So we we met with a very large number of people, visited ACT teams, visited different kinds of sites, all prior to conducting formal research, meaning audio recorded interviews and data collection. So we had already learned a lot. We tried to ground ourselves as much as possible in what was happening across the State before then. The formal data collection and the last half year has really been refinements and revisions of the draft report, which we originally submitted the very end of 2025,” Nev Jones, Co-Author of the report, University of Pittsburgh Associate Professor said.

She says one of the main priorities was to provide an opportunity to shine a light on the experiences individuals have had with Assisted Outpatient Treatment orders, something she says there’s been a lack of attention on across the country.

With Kendra’s Law being a Statewide program, one of the challenges was adjusting to how its been implemented on a county-by-county basis.

“Every county in 糖心动漫vlog utilizes AOT to some extent, and there are huge differences that have developed over time in how that’s approached. And you know, even the court processes vary to a significant degree,” she said.

The State says that’s one of the aspects of the report they’ve responded to, investing $16.5 million annually for counties to improve coordination and oversight,

That data though, added up to findings, conclusions and recommendations.

“What we overwhelmingly heard, and I think putting the qualitative and the quantitative pieces together, is that service access absolutely improves outcomes,” she said. “In some cases, even folks we interviewed said they would do anything they could to not get off an AOT order, only for the reason that they were so afraid they would lose access to services.”

The NYS Office of Mental Health recently sharing some stories of recovery, brought on through this program.

The report shows accessing service has been a benefit of AOT, but there are concerns. One aspect coming in the form of coercion, as researchers gathered accounts from individuals who felt threatened by their mandates.

“From the operative sort of mechanism from a provider standpoint of behavioral compliance, if you will, is threats,” she said. “Police callouts, involuntary transportation to a hospital or acute facility, involuntary inpatient hospitalization, and then potentially medication over objection. So, in many people’s minds, they were living in fear of consequences a lot of the time. Some people maybe internalize the decision to change behavior in particular ways of their own volition while they’re under an AOT order, but for many people, just the the threat led to a lot of negative sequelae in terms of impacting internalized stigma, feeling dehumanized, feeling treated like a second-class citizen.”

The 糖心动漫vlog State Office of Mental Health though, points to the intention of Assisted Outpatient Treatment, arguing it’s being used for a small group of people (roughly 4,300 individuals of the 800,000 people receiving mental health services systemwide), with a history of serious mental illness, who also have a history of not participating in voluntary treatment, all aimed at avoiding restrictive inpatient hospitalization and incarceration.

A spokesperson sending this statement:

鈥淭his report illustrates how Assisted Outpatient Treatment is positively impacting the very outcomes it was designed to address 鈥搑educing hospitalizations and improving community safety. Compared with individuals voluntarily receiving intensive community-based services, individuals on AOT experienced better outcomes related to improved housing stability, reduced risk of harm to others, reduced risk of psychiatric hospitalization, and reduced length of psychiatric hospitalization. We will continue to review the findings and recommendations to ensure this small but critical component of our state鈥檚 outpatient community-based care system continues fulfilling the key role it plays in our continuum of care.鈥�

The report though, also raises concerns about the process itself, with courts the center of confusion for many.

“We met people who only really realized that what they had agreed to was an AOT order in the substantive sense long after they were discharged from the hospital, multiple people reporting not even having a copy of their AOT plan,” Jones said. “The normative experience was having no idea how they would get off or what the process was. Extremely limited contact with attorneys in 糖心动漫vlog State. That’s Mental Hygiene Legal Services, which we abbreviate MHLS. Very, very limited contact, lots of concerns from clients as well as family members and advocates about how difficult it was to reach MHLS attorneys, how little time or bandwidth they had to actually assist with defense or clarify questions about, for instance, what really are the terms of, the kind of discharge of the order, and I think a lot of that was very concerning to us.”

To help create a clearer path, the State has implemented “Peer bridgers” to engage individuals receiving treatment, while also allocating $33 million to expand services for those involved with the criminal justice system which includes mental health courts and housing.

Barring legislative action, Kendra’s Law is set to sunset in 2027.

You can review the report here:

The post New Research Reinforces the Need for Voluntary Services: Join the Discussion at Our Conference! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

These critical issues will be a major focus of the Alliance Annual Conference, where attendees will hear from national leaders during multiple workshops and plenary sessions on disability rights, Olmstead, federal policy changes, and the future of community integration. Join us to learn about the latest developments, discuss strategies to protect the rights of people with disabilities, and help shape the next chapter of advocacy for recovery, rights, and full community inclusion.

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

MH Advocates Launch National Campaign, Defend ADA Protections
聽| Mental Health Weekly | July 31, 2026

In a move to reaffirm the rights guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision, the Alliance for Rights and Recovery and its partners in the POWER (People Organized for Wellness, Empowerment and Recovery) Coalition have launched a national advocacy campaign.

Marking the 36th anniversary of the ADA, the POWER Coalition unveiled 鈥淲e Refuse to Go Backwards,鈥� a national campaign aimed at defending the right of people with mental health and substance use conditions to live and receive services in their communities. Through the initiative, advocates pledged to work alongside national organizations and advocacy groups to oppose efforts that they say weaken the ADA’s integration mandate, expand institutionalization and increase the use of coercive treatment.

The POWER Coalition, a national coalition of recovery leaders, disability and civil rights advocates, peer leaders and families navigating multiple systems of care, launched earlier this year (see 鈥淣ew national coalition mobilizes to defend rights, services in MH, recovery,鈥� MHW, Feb. 2; ).

In commemoration of the ADA’s anniversary, the coalition released a series of video statements reaffirming its commitment to protecting disability rights and promoting recovery, a news release announcing the campaign stated.

Coalition leaders say the campaign comes at a time of intensifying debates over involuntary treatment, institutional care and federal disability policy. While advocates credit the ADA and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision with advancing community integration for people with disabilities, they contend that recent policy proposals have raised concerns about whether those gains can be sustained.

Paolo del Vecchio, founder of Rising Recovery, a recovery advocacy and consulting organization, and co-chair of the POWER Coalition, said the coalition has focused on several key issues since its launch, including efforts to oppose the potential elimination of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and concerns over a U.S. Department of Justice memorandum that critics say weakens enforcement of the ADA (see 鈥淒OJ memo sparks alarm over disability rights and community integration,鈥� MHW, June 29, 2026; ).

鈥淭hese are direct assaults on our rights to freedom and independence,鈥� del Vecchio told MHW. He added that equity remains a major concern, arguing that the administration’s efforts to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could worsen existing disparities. 鈥淎 disproportionate number of people, particularly people of color, are involuntarily committed, and the DEI situation only makes it worse,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e do not want to go backwards to the back wards of psychiatric hospitals,鈥� said del Vecchio. He pointed to data from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute indicating that, in 2025, more states were increasing psychiatric hospital capacity by reopening beds in existing facilities or building new hospitals for the first time since the 1950s, a trend driven in part by sharp increases in forensic commitments.

鈥淲e refuse to be silent,鈥� Harvey Rosenthal, CEO of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery and co-chair of the POWER Coalition’s communications committee, told MHW. 鈥淭he administration’s policies are based on stigma, discrimination, isolation and segregating our community. We now know that recovery is the expectation; everybody can be helped.鈥�

Supported Housing
鈥淥ne of the things we know works is supportive housing,鈥� said del Vecchio. He pointed to the Housing First model, which helps people with mental health and substance use conditions, as well as other disabilities, remain in the community and reduce involvement with the criminal justice system. 鈥淗ousing is often the foundation of recovery,鈥� he said.

Del Vecchio also criticized the administration’s stance on harm reduction, evidence-based practices and Housing First policies, arguing that it has moved away from approaches shown to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions.

Del Vecchio’s criticism reflects concerns among advocates about a 2025 executive order that seeks to end federal support for Housing First policies, expand the use of civil commitment and restrict funding for some harm reduction initiatives.

Defending the ADA
Asked what investments or policy changes are most needed to fulfill the ADA’s promise for people with mental health conditions, Arc Telos Saint Amour, executive director of Youth MOVE National and a member of the POWER Coalition, said the immediate priority is not expanding the law but preserving it.

鈥淚 wish we had the luxury to focus on investments and policy changes that would strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act and make it more holistic and effective,鈥� Saint Amour told MHW. 鈥淚 don’t believe the ADA is perfect or even working as fully intended. But our current reality doesn’t allow for that kind of future thinking.鈥�

Instead, Saint Amour argued that advocates are being forced into a defensive position amid what they view as efforts to weaken disability rights protections. 鈥淭he ADA is actively being dismantled, and we are quickly moving back to a time when individuals with disabilities are viewed as inherently violent, criminal, 鈥榠ncurably sick,鈥� and not worthy of self-agency, bodily autonomy and living within their own communities,鈥� they said. 鈥淢ake no mistake, if the ADA is dismantled, people will die.鈥�

Embracing Recovery
鈥淲e need a strong SAMHSA and policies that move the country forward with a recovery-oriented approach,鈥� del Vecchio said. 鈥淥ur coalition has a vision for a nation that embraces recovery.鈥�

As evidence of recovery’s reach and impact, del Vecchio pointed to SAMHSA’s recently released National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which found that an estimated 63 million adults identified as being in recovery from a mental health condition, a substance use issue or both (see story, p. 1). He added that the findings underscore the need for policies that support recovery and community-based services rather than institutional approaches.

del Vecchio said more than 2,000 people signed a POWER Coalition statement urging Congress to preserve SAMHSA and continue investing in recovery, peer support and community-based services rather than coercive approaches.

鈥淥ur hope is for policymakers, particularly members of Congress, to listen to us,鈥� del Vecchio said, pointing to what he described as early successes, including congressional pushback against several provisions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ FY 2027 budget proposal, among them the proposed elimination of SAMHSA. 鈥淲e want the Olmstead decision to remain the law of the land. We won’t go back. Community living is our right.鈥�

The post Protecting Community Integration: Join the Conversation at the Alliance Conference! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

This important discussion will continue at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery Annual Conference, where attendees will hear the latest updates on state behavioral health policy and program changes, including presentations from the Office of Mental Health. The conference will also feature a dedicated workshop on Kendra’s Law led by members of the research team that conducted this landmark evaluation, including Dr. Bevin Croft, offering a unique opportunity to hear directly from the experts about the study’s findings, recommendations, and what they mean for the future of 糖心动漫vlog’s mental health system.

Register for Conference聽
Get Hotel Rooms聽
Full Conference Program

Hochul鈥檚 Mental Health Plan Takes Fire in State-Commissioned Report
By Ethan Geringer-Sameth | Crain鈥檚 Healthcare | August 4, 2026

糖心动漫vlog should prioritize voluntary outpatient mental health services over court-ordered treatment under Kendra鈥檚 Law, according to an independent study commissioned by the state.

The Office of Mental Health quietly posted the study on Kendra鈥檚 Law 鈥� a centerpiece of Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 mental health agenda 鈥� to its website after lawmakers required it as part of a condition for renewing the law in 2022. The findings take aim at a tool that Hochul has poured millions of state dollars into and expanded in law multiple times since taking office.

鈥淭he evidence suggests that (Assisted Outpatient Treatment鈥檚) primary positive impact lies in facilitating access to services, but that AOT鈥檚 legal and procedural framework is associated with persistent concerns about fairness, voice, and agency across all phases of implementation,鈥� the report says, referring to the court-ordered treatments.

The study, which was first reported by Politico, found that Kendra鈥檚 Law helped connect people to services but that court orders were coercive and often predetermined, particularly for people of color. It recommends the state strengthen voluntary services like intensive outreach, housing support and case management and ensure access is not contingent on a court order.

The study was conducted by the Human Services Research Institute and University of Pittsburgh, which received $1 million from the state. Investigators interviewed more than 200 people, including participants, family members, providers, judicial officers and Kendra鈥檚 Law administrators, while also analyzing administrative data collected by the Office of Mental Health.

The report said that the positive outcomes of both voluntary and involuntary programs came from the access they provided to intensive community services, which are limited. But despite being described as a last resort, the study found that AOT often occurred 鈥渦nder conditions that limit meaningful choice, including hospital discharge or criminal-legal pressure, with little discussion of less restrictive alternatives.鈥�

The study also found that treatment plans were rarely contested and challenges unlikely to succeed. County health departs usually make the treatment order requests, which were approved by judges more than 95% of the time, according to state data.

According to the report, the model is fear-based with compliance largely maintained by the threat of removal to a hospital, which is rare. It found inconsistencies in the implementation of removal practices, with Black participants are 26% more likely to be taken to the hospital at least once. People who identified as White or Hispanic were 11% and 15% less likely to have been removed, respectively.

Kendra鈥檚 Law has been a key element of Hochul鈥檚 legislative agenda in multiple sessions, at times holding up negotiations to force changes to the law to make it easier to enact and maintain court orders. Earlier this month, Mental Health Commissioner Ann Marie Sullivan touted an additional  to standardize the program statewide.

Office of Mental Health spokesman Justin Mason defended the program鈥檚 positive impacts and noted that Kendra鈥檚 Law was used in a small number of cases.

鈥淭his report illustrates how Assisted Outpatient Treatment is positively impacting the very outcomes it was designed to address 鈥搑educing hospitalizations and improving community safety,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e will continue to review the findings and recommendations to ensure this small but critical component of our state鈥檚 outpatient community-based care system continues fulfilling the key role it plays in our continuum of care.鈥�

Roughly 4,300 people each year are under a court order, compared with 400,000 Medicaid recipients receiving outpatient mental health services, Mason said. Thirty-eight percent are Black and a majority have a history of hospitalization.

Sakeena Trice, a senior staff attorney for 糖心动漫vlog Lawyers for the Public Interest, which monitors the implementation of the law, said the findings indicate that the state should reevaluate its reliance on assisted outpatient treatment.

鈥淜endra鈥檚 Law prioritizes force over autonomy without proof that force works better,鈥� she said. 鈥溙切亩log should stop expanding a coercive system and instead invest in the voluntary, community-based care this study shows people actually need.鈥�

The post A Landmark Study, A Critical Conversation: Kendra’s Law Takes Center Stage at the Alliance Conference! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

Register for Conference
Get Hotel Rooms
Full Conference Program

Alliance 44^th Annual Conference: Some Featured Presentations
September 23-25, 2026听听 Albany Marriott

BEST PRACTICE

Hollywood 2.0 is an L.A. County pilot program that brings the revolutionary, community-based mental health care model from Trieste, Italy to the Hollywood neighborhood. It prioritizes “radical hospitality”, shifting focus from a medical diagnosis to a holistic approach of People, Place, and Purpose. By focusing on holistic, peer-driven recovery, the program has successfully helped slash Hollywood’s street homelessness by nearly half.
Sapna Mendon-Plasek Rand Corporation Kerry Morrison, Heart Forward Founder and Project Director, Hollywood 2.0 Jillian Santoro, Fountain House Hollywood

PUBLIC POLICY

糖心动漫vlog City
Mental Health Policies under the Mamdani Administration
Dr Jorge Petit Executive Deputy Commissioner, NYC Division of Mental Hygiene
糖心动漫vlog State
–OMH Town Hall Dr. Ann Sullivan, Commissioner, NYS Office of Mental Health
–糖心动漫vlog State and Federal Policy Community Dialogue
聽Harvey Rosenthal and Luke Sikinyi, Alliance for Rights and Recovery
National Policy
–Under Fire: Olmstead Community Integration Protections!
Clarence Sundram, one of the nation’s foremost disability rights advocates, former Chair of NY鈥檚 Commission on Quality of Care
Jennifer Mathis, Deputy Director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Patrick Wildes, Director of Albany Law School’s Government Law Center and former Assistant Secretary for Human Services and Mental Hygiene in the 糖心动漫vlog Governor’s Office
–Coming Together for Rights and Recovery
Cherene Caraco, Promise Resource Center; Kris Locus, On Our Own of Maryland; Phyllis Vine, Historian and Author; Chris Assini, FOR-NY Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Alliance for Rights and Recovery

PEER SERVICES

–A Culture of Best Practice Peer Innovations
Cherene Caraco, Promise Resource Center
-Another Brick in the Wall鈥ow Can the Peer Workforce Thrive Without Being Co-opted?聽
Jeremy Reuling and Melissa Wettengel, Hands Across Long Island
-Peer Leadership in Practice: Maintaining Mutuality in Roles of Authority听听听听
Melissa Wettengel Hands Across Long Island; Edye Schwartz, Edye Schwartz Consulting
-Holding the Line: Prevention of Peer Drift and Honoring Peer Fidelity
Matthew R. Federici, Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery 听听
-Peer Job Retention: Update on Compensation, Satisfaction, and Education Issues for Peers
Joanne Forbes, PhD, consultant Rutgers University; Rita Cronise, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions, Rutgers University

HUMAN RIGHTS

-Passing The Torch: Sharing Our Success and Learning from the Global Disability Rights Movement
Eric Rosenthal, Disability Rights International
-NY鈥檚 Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program: A Review听听 Stakeholder Panel
-Distorted Narratives in Psychiatry: Anosognosia and the Construction of a Scientific 鈥淔act鈥澛�
Jesse Mangan, Committable and Jim McQuaid听听

EQUITY

-Eliminating Disparities by Centering聽Equity and Justice: Individual and Systems Level Responsibilities, Practices, and Actions
Haner Hernandez, Independent Consultant and President of the Massachusetts Addiction Counselor Certification Board
-Building the Capacity for an Inclusive Peer Support Service Continuum-Through the Lens of Equity
Sara Taylor, Positive Steps and the BIPOC PEEEEEEK project聽
-Small Changes for Big Impact
Kai Cronk, Recovery Options Made Easy聽
-Inequities, Discrimination and Stigma in the Workplace
Karen Broadway-Wilson, Norman Kim and Raymond Gregory, Center for Practice Innovation

HEALING AND THE ARTS

-The Art of Recovery: Gayle Bluebird, Bluebird Consulting; Sharon Wise, Wise Workz; Michael Skinner, Surviving Spirit; Bryant Pugh, Mental Health Empowerment Project; Moderator: Andrea Wagner, NYS Office of Mental Health聽
-Sacred Stories聽Author鈥檚 Panel
Lori Tatarski, I Dare You to Walk in My Shoes; Len Statham, 5 Greatest Moments and Michael Skinner, The Lunchbox Theory: Lessons Learned from Trauma and Abuse; I Know You Say It’s Red, But聽My Crayon Is Blue: The Power of Self-Identification in a World That Keeps Labeling People, Jeff McQueen
-Stand Up for Mental Health! with David Granirer and comics
–Diversity Bash and Fashion Show Alliance Multicultural Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee
–Free Shiatsu, Acupuncture, Massage, Yoga and Tai Chi!
-Rhythms for Resilience and Resistance! Chrys Ballerano

JUSTICE REFORM

-Communities Not Cages: Prison and Sentencing Reform
Thomas Gant and Ismael Diaz Jr, Center for Community Alternatives and Franchesca Capellan, TheraCorp, Fairleigh Dickinson U
-Re-Entry and Recovery听听
Skip Skipper NYC Justice Peer Initiative; TBA Correctional Association of NYS; Charles Corbin, Treatment not Jail Coalition聽

Register for Conference
Get Hotel Rooms
Full Conference Program

The post See the Alliance Conference Featured Presentations: Register Today to Secure Your Spot! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.