New Hampshire deal would mean more mental health beds

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced a deal with SolutionHealth to use $15 million of federal funds to break ground on a new mental health hospital.
It will be located in the south-central region of the state and comes at a time when New Hampshire Hospital closed 48 beds because of worker shortage and a lack of discharge or what’s called “back door” options.
Susan Stearns, executive director of NAMI New Hampshire, wasn’t surprised that the hospital closed beds. She said additional capacity is “very much needed” but the first line of attack should be keeping people out of the hospital in the first place.
“Prevention is key for the people who need it. And that leads to needing more community-based program...