The Olmstead Peer Support Project

The Olmstead Peer Support Program was designed to respond to the 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court case, which ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act may require states to provide community-based services rather than institutional placements. In effect, individuals can no longer be confined to state institutions when community placements are available.

Our Mission

Our mission for the program is to prepare consumers currently placed in psychiatric hospitals to leave facilities, assist them in understanding their options in the community, and to be available for follow-up after they have left the hospitals.

How the Program Works

On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. has hired peer support counselors to help consumers leaving from state facilities to transition into the community. The peer counselors work closely with the staff in hositals and social work departments to obtain community resources and information to pass on to the consumers leaving the facilities. The peer support counselors provide their personal knowledge and expertise to consumers both in group faciliation and in one-on-one interaction. By providing a listening ear, sharing their own stories, and finding the countless ways to give, peers can help to support consumers during the difficult period of beginning anew in the community.

We believe that utilizing the peer support model in state hospitals will result in more consumers having a smoother transition into the community.  The prospect of smoothing the transition for consumers back into the community life truly addresses the precepts of the Olmstead decision and will undoubtedly improve the lives of consumers in Maryland.