NORWICH – The Chenango County Board of Supervisors will soon consider creating a full-time Assisted Outpatient Treatment coordinator to oversee court-ordered mental health care, backed entirely by state funding.

The position comes following the New York State Legislature’s May 2025 budget, which included funding for local Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs, established under Kendra’s Law, on the condition that local agencies hire additional staff to handle the new requirements.

Kendra’s Law allows judges to mandate outpatient mental health treatment for individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness who struggle to manage their care independently.

The proposal for the new position at Chenango County Behavioral Health Services was presented by Irina Gordeyeva, director of Chenango County Community Services, and earned approval from both the county’s Personnel Committee and Health and Human Services Committee. It now heads to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.

Gordeyeva explained that the new coordinator will oversee program operations, direct care coordination, and community outreach. Responsibilities include collaborating with hospitals, working alongside law enforcement, contacting local providers, and assisting individuals with housing needs.

“This is a lot of community-based work,” Gordeyeva told members of the county’s Personnel Committee on Tuesday. “Our office has a component of AOT right now. But in order to fulfill the new state requirements, adding a full-time position is necessary.”

Gordeyeva, who has been working with Chenango County Human Resources to create a job description, noted that state funds will cover 100 percent of the coordinator's salary and fringe benefits. She added that the state anticipates continued funding for the position unless state legislators alter the law in the future.

During committee discussions, Personnel Committee member and Smyrna Town Supervisor Michael Khoury asked whether the coordinator would focus primarily on administrative tasks or maintain direct contact with clients. He also questioned if the state’s mandate was an effort to "patch the hole" created by the closures of long-term mental health care facilities across New York State in recent years.

Gordeyeva emphasized that while the role addresses significant community gaps, it serves as part of a broader network of care.

“It does kind of change in terms of the approach. I think this really targets the highest-needs folks who have mental illness and being able to support them and provide that additional support to make sure they’re stable,” Gordeyeva said. “The goal is to avoid hospitalizations if there’s a high psychiatric need.”

She added that while AOT provides vital support, higher levels of care may still be necessary depending on individual needs.

“This is one spoke of the wheel, but I think depending on the degree of need or services or supports that there could be other spokes that could assist,” Gordeyeva said. “If there are needs of higher levels of care, that might be an avenue that we would explore separate from AOT, but it could be in conjunction with AOT.”