Maine Nurse Practitioner Association
Constance W. Jordan, MSN, ANP, President

March 3, 2005

Senator Arthur Mayo
Representative Hannah Pingree
Members of the Health and Human Services Committee Room 209 SOB
State House
Augusta, Maine 04330

Dear Chairman Mayo, Chairman Pingree and Members of the Committee:

The Maine Nurse Practitioners Association wishes to go on record in support of LD 151, An Act tc Improve the Delivery of Maine's Mental Health Services.

An outpatient commitment law is a reflection of appropriate treatment for severely and persistently mentally ill individuals who neglect compliance with prescribed treatment. The lack of treatment compliance is rarely a volitional act; rather it is a symptom of the mental illness.

There are currently 40 states with various forms of court ordered outpatient treatment. The states that have adopted outpatient commitment laws have sustained a decrease in rehospitalization rates and a significant decrease in the rate of incarceration.. While involuntary administration of medication may seem a draconian measure to people who do not care for this patient population, th quality of life of mentally ill individuals will only be improved by a measure such as LD 151. While individuals with mental illness have a right to refuse treatment, they, more importantly, have the right not to have to be hospitalized repeatedly and also not to commit violent acts or antisocial acts that put them in prison when what they need is treatment. Treatment, even if mandated by law, can prevent behaviors and situations with legal consequences; the consequences that leave the public wondering how this could have been allowed to happened. Stigma regarding the mentally it is reinforced when individuals, and society, suffer the consequences of their untreated illness. As long as the statute provides for adequate legal protection and recourse for the mentally ill individual, outpatient commitment can only benefit the mentally ill and the community in which they live.

Additionally, MNPA urges that LD 151 model the New York Bellevue Outpatient Commitment Pilot Program of 1995, which ultimately resulted in "Kendra's Law" in 1999.

Thank you for your interest in making all Maine people healthier. Should you wish, we would be glad to provide further, more specific information regarding psychiatric community standards of care with assisted outpatient treatment during the upcoming work session on this proposal.

Sincerely yours,

Constance W. Jordan, MSN, ANP
President, Maine Nurse Practitioner Association

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