Bartholomew to add outpatient treatment court for mental health needs

A new mental health program called an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Court will be starting in April in Bartholomew County Judge Jon Rohde’s Superior Court 2 for civil cases, ensuring people get the treatment they need.

Rohde is announcing that the program is a partnership with Columbus Regional Health, Centerstone, Mental Health Matters, and the South Central National Alliance on Mental Illness. It will provide court-supervised treatment to those suffering from a mental health diagnosis.

Rohde said the goal is to decrease the number of repeat interactions between those suffering from mental illness and local medical facilities and with law enforcement. That will also reduce the current strain on inpatient services.

While programs like this are common in Kentucky and Ohio, this will only be the second in Indiana, Rohde said. Last year, Judge Jim Worton introduced a mental health court in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 for criminal cases.

Rohde said that the program will cause no additional cost to taxpayers because the partner agencies will be dedicating existing resources to the program.

“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,” Rohde said.