By Olivia Belanger
THE KEENE SENTINEL
BRATTLEBORO — Following the N.H. Executive Council’s approval Wednesday morning, up to 10 inpatient mental health beds will now be available for Granite State youth at the Brattleboro Retreat.
The $684,000 contract — presented to the council by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services — will allow children ages 5 to 17 to utilize the beds through June 30, 2022, according to a report submitted by N.H. Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette. The contract, which uses federal dollars, can be renewed for up to four additional years.
The effort aims to address the ongoing problem of New Hampshire’s limited psychiatric beds for kids, as the nation sees a sharp rise in mental health issues among children amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contract was unanimously approved by the five councilors, including Cinde Warmington, D-Concord, and David Wheeler, R-Milford, whose districts each include many area communities.
The New Hampshire health department estimated about 100 kids will be served through its contract with the Brattleboro psychiatric and substance-use provider.
“This is good news,” said Phil Wyzik, executive director of Monadnock Family Services, which has locations in Keene and Peterborough. “Any investment in the mental health system for kids or adults in New Hampshire is a welcome thing, and beds closer to Cheshire County is not something we’ve had in quite some time.”
The only inpatient option for kids in New Hampshire currently is at Hampstead Hospital — about an hour and a half from Keene — which is at capacity and unable to meet the increased need for inpatient psychiatric care, Shibinette’s report says.
In 2016, Keene’s Cheshire Medical Center shuttered its inpatient adolescent and mental health unit when officials said the hospital couldn’t recruit enough psychiatrists to staff it.
As a result of the limited care capacity, about 30 teens and younger children are waiting — often for two or more weeks — in emergency departments statewide for a bed to open up on a given day, according to the report.
The Retreat was the only viable option for the state to ask for help with this issue, the report says, as the other facilities in surrounding states were at capacity due to staffing shortages and stricter COVID-19 protocols.
Up to 10 beds will be available for New Hampshire children, Shibinette said, but that is dependent on The Retreat’s capacity. On Wednesday, she said The Retreat had no openings.
“But tomorrow they could have a discharge,” Shibinette said. “That’s why it’s so important to have this contract.”
The Retreat did not respond to a list of questions sent by The Sentinel on Wednesday, including whether it has enough staff to support the additional beds or whether N.H. Medicaid will cover out-of-state treatment.
This article is being shared by a partner in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
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