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    Mental Health in PA

    Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)​

    What is ACT?

    ACT is an evidence-based practice that provides community-based, multi-disciplinary mental health treatment for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. The goal of ACT is to lessen or eliminate the debilitating effects that the symptoms of mental illness can have on functioning and quality of life by providing the majority of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services that individuals need to achieve their goals and live independently in their community.

    ACT or ACT-like programs have been in existence in Pennsylvania since the mid-1990s.

    However, no statewide standards existed for ACT until the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) issued the ACT bulletin in September 2008 stipulating the standards and procedures for developing, administering, and monitoring ACT programs in the Commonwealth.

    ACT services are tailored for each person and address their preferences and identified goals established through relationship building and individualized assessments. The teams work collaboratively to provide services in community locations that can be available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

    The services that the teams are required to provide include:

    • Service Coordination by an assigned service coordinator/case manager
    • 24 Hour Crisis Assessment and Intervention
    • Symptom Assessment and Management
    • Medication Prescription, Administration, Monitoring and Documentation
    • Co-occurring Substance Abuse Services
    • Employment Services
    • Activities of Daily Living
    • Social/Interpersonal Relationship and Leisure-Time Skill Training
    • Peer Support Services
    • Support Services
    • Education, Support and Consultation to Families

    Currently, PA has 43 licensed ACT  teams that serve about 3200 individuals. Consistent with the concept of urban and rural teams in the National ACT Standards, the OMHSAS ACT bulletin defines two sizes of ACT teams:

    • Full-size team (Urban): 10-12 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) multidisciplinary clinical staff plus a psychiatrist and program assistant. Staff to an individual-served ratio of 1:10 (not including the psychiatrist and the program assistant);
    • Modified team (Rural): Six-eight Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) multidisciplinary clinical staff plus a psychiatrist and program assistant. Staff to an individual-served ratio of 1:8 (not including the psychiatrist and the program assistant).