Relates to hospitalization, care coordination, and assisted outpatient treatment for persons with mental illness

This bill amends New York's Mental Hygiene Law to clarify criteria for court-ordered outpatient treatment and hospitalization for people with severe mental illness. It updates definitions to explicitly include "serious harm" from self-neglect (like untreated psychosis or inability to meet basic needs) as grounds for intervention, beyond just immediate violence risk. The law requires clinicians to first assess whether outpatient treatment could be effective before pursuing involuntary hospitalization. It aims to expand access to existing assisted outpatient programs (like "Kendra's Law") by removing barriers preventing eligible individuals from receiving community-based care.