Idaho cut the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program in December amid statewide budget shortages, and three deaths have occurred since the program’s cancellation, according to providers. The program had contracted with the Idaho Health and Welfare Department to provide intensive outreach and treatment support to patients with severe mental illness. Providers have declined to name the former patients who died, citing legal requirements around patient confidentiality.
In the 18 months before the program’s cancellation, there had been one reported death among its approximately 200 patients statewide. After the program ended, three additional deaths have occurred. Laura Scuri, a former leader of the Boise chapter of the program, said in an email that “destabilization is already occurring” and that “the increase in deaths makes that undeniable.”
The Assertive Community Treatment program sought to find and help treat people suffering from severe mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The program model gave priority to keeping people on their medications, many of which are monthly shots to guard against psychosis. Before the cut was announced, providers rushed to warn lawmakers and state officials of the potential consequences. Scuri previously stated: “We told the state. We said, ‘Look, if you do this, it’ll take five weeks for people to start dying’ once people’s medications wear off.”
Patients in the program had such severe conditions that they were unlikely to seek care on their own and relied on providers to check in on them. According to a provider release, without “intensive oversight,” patients “frequently lose insight into their illness, stop medication, and become disconnected from reality while experiencing hallucinations and delusions.” The program was cut as part of state budget reductions called by Gov. Brad Little in August, reducing the health department’s budget by 3%.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/feb/20/idaho-cut-this-service-for-patients-with-psychosis/