assertive community treatment (act) is a community based program designed to treat persons with serious mental illness by offering treatment and supports in a community setting rather than a hospital. previous studies of act have tended to focus on outcomes regarding reduced hospitalization days and improved quality of life outcomes of act clients in well established programs. the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of assertive community treatment on reduced hospitalization days and quality of life outcomes of clients admitted to a rural and urban act program using a longitudinal approach.