The work continues. As we prepare to refile the Continuum of Care Act in the next legislative session, we are building the support needed to create meaningful change for people living with severe mental illness and their families.
Your story is one of the most powerful tools we have. We encourage families, peers, professionals, and supporters to reach out to their own Massachusetts Senator and Representative and start a conversation. Share what you have experienced. Tell them what happens when someone with severe mental illness cannot access care until they reach a point of crisis. Help them understand why establishing Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is critical for Massachusetts.
You don't need to be a policy expert. Your lived experience can move hearts, change minds, and help legislators understand why reform is needed.
The next legislative session begins with the conversations we have today. Find your legislators. Share your story. Help us bring the Right to Be Well to Massachusetts.
Join AOTNOW, the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, and the Treatment Advocacy Center. We have met with our legislative champion State Senator Cindy Friedman and visited legislators' offices to advocate for the Continuum of Care Act— legislation that would establish Critical Community Health Services in Massachusetts and help end the cycle of homelessness, repeated hospitalizations, and the criminalization of severe mental illness.
Massachusetts is one of only TWO states that has not yet adopted this proven, effective model of community-based outpatient mental health treatment. That ends this year — but only if we speak up.
Your experience matters. If you have a story about living with severe mental illness, supporting a loved one, navigating the mental health system, or advocating for change, we want to hear from you.
NSSC Massachusetts welcomes personal stories from families, peers, and professionals. With your permission, your story may be featured on the NSSC blog to help educate others, raise awareness, and give a voice to experiences that too often remain unheard. Email Your Story TodayDownload our legislative fact sheet to share with your representatives and community. Help us demand a National Standard of Care for Assisted Outpatient Treatment.
For the most up-to-date legislative tracking and national progress on Assisted Outpatient Treatment, visit our partners at:
VISIT AOTNOW.ORG