This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program, also known as Laura’s Law. Enacted after the tragic death of Laura Wilcox in 2001, AOT was created to support individuals living with severe mental illness who are at significant risk of decline or detention due to poor treatment adherence.

AOT focuses on engaging those with repeated hospitalizations, incarcerations, or a history of harm to self or others. The program starts with intensive outreach, encouraging voluntary treatment. If efforts are unsuccessful, AOT may petition for court-ordered treatment to ensure safety and stability. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce hospitalizations and law enforcement encounters by connecting individuals to long-term support through Full-Service Partnership (FSP) or Enriched Residential Services (ERS).

Over the past decade, AOT has bridged the gap between the mental health system and those most in need. By fostering collaboration between the courts, County Counsel, Public Defender’s Office, Patients’ Rights advocates, law enforcement, and mental health providers, AOT offers a more coordinated and compassionate path to recovery.

None of this would be possible without the dedication of AOT staff. Elida Fuentes, a Medical Case Worker with the Little Tokyo team, has been part of this journey for five years. She highlights how stigma often prevents individuals from seeking help. Through consistent outreach and trust-building, she’s seen people once resistant to care begin their mental health recovery.

Fuentes emphasizes that success often hinges on relationships. “When clients know you’re genuinely there for them,” she said, “It can break down walls and open the door to healing.” Her compassionate, non-threatening approach has proven especially effective with those who’ve had negative past experiences with treatment. For Fuentes, this work is deeply meaningful — and she is grateful to witness the change.

For the last 10 years, AOT has stood beside those often unseen and underserved, offering hope, support, and a path toward a better quality of life.

Know someone who might benefit from AOT? Submit a referral today. Let us help — there is hope.

For questions related to AOT, please email AOTLAOE@dmh.lacounty.gov or call 213-738-2440. The AOT-LA Website includes details about the AOT program, the referral form, and brochures in multiple languages.

 

Submitted by:
Ulma Romero-Garcia LCSW, Psychiatric Social Worker II
Venus Ngai LMFT, Program Manager I