In response to Bartholomew County’s commitment to addressing the mental health crisis, Judge Jonathan Rohde announced on Friday that he intends to launch a new program that will provide court-supervised treatment to individuals with mental health diagnoses.
Judge Rohde collaborated with Columbus Regional Health, Centerstone, Mental Health Matters, and the South Central National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). These organizations will dedicate existing resources to the program, resulting in no additional costs for taxpayers.
The program’s goals are to provide an alternative local mental illness treatment option, reduce the number of repeat interactions that people suffering from mental illnesses have with local medical facilities and law enforcement, and alleviate the current strain on inpatient services.
Judge Rohde said: “Our goal is to get people the help they need before their crisis results in them committing a crime, while at the same time maximizing the efficiency of our community’s emergency resources, all of which will result in us having a safer community.”
The program’s residency requirements will be strict, with only permanent Bartholomew County residents eligible. Rohde stated, “I designed it to serve our community members and deter attracting problems that may exist elsewhere, but I also made it so that it could be replicated in other areas where there is a need. We look forward to helping to address the local mental health crisis.”
Beginning in April, this mental health solution will be known as an Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Court. While such courts are common in Ohio and Kentucky, Judge Rohde’s program will be only the second in Indiana.
Last year, Judge Worton established a mental health court program within the county’s criminal courts. Judge Rohde’s new mental health solutions program will operate as a civil court.
