An Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team consists of a community-based group of medical, behavioral health, and rehabilitation professionals who use a team approach to meet the needs of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.
ACT Team services are intended to serve:
• Individuals 18 years and older with schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder.
• Additionally, difficulty consistently performing the range of routine tasks required for adult functioning in the community.
• There is significant difficulty maintaining consistent employment or a safe living situation.
• Individuals served by ACTT also have a high use of acute psychiatric hospital (2 or more admissions during the past 12 months) or psychiatric emergency services;
• Coexisting mental health and substance abuse use disorders of significant duration (more than 6 months);
• High risk or recent history of criminal justice involvement (such as arrest, incarceration, probation);
• Difficulty effectively using traditional office-based outpatient services.
A comprehensive clinical assessment that demonstrates medical necessity must be completed prior to provision of ACT Team services.
ACT Team’s are to be the first-line (and generally sole provider) of all the services that an ACT individuals needs. Being the single point of responsibility necessitates a higher frequency and intensity of community-based contacts, and a very low individual-to-staff ratio.
Services are flexible; teams offer varying levels of care for all individuals, and appropriately adjust service levels given individuals changing needs over time.
ACT teams are available to individuals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. ACT Teams shall have an office open 8 hours per day, Monday through Friday, for walk-ins and calls. Planned services must be available seven days per week.
It is expected that individuals will reduce the amount of time spent in institutional settings and become more integrated within their own community.
Individuals with a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder, or intellectual developmental disabilities, borderline personality disorder, traumatic brain injury, or an autism spectrum disorder are not the intended beneficiary group and are not eligible for services