NAMI-NH: 57 People Waiting in Emergency Rooms for Psychiatric Beds

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On Thursday, 18 children and 39 adults (38 in emergency departments, 1 in a correctional facility) are waiting for inpatient psychiatric beds, according to NAMI-NH’s Facebook page.

NAMI NH is very concerned by the rising number of individuals in mental health crisis being boarded while waiting for inpatient beds. We have been working with hospitals, mental health centers/providers, state leaders, and our congressional delegation to better understand the situation and to identify short- and long-term solutions.

COVID-19 has dramatically slowed the ability of hospitals to discharge individuals needing residential placements – especially youth. Locating appropriate housing for adults has also been challenging.

The NH Department of Health and Human Services opened the Philbrook Adult Transitional Housing (PATH) program with 16 beds in September 2020, and is working on a plan to increase beds at NH Hospital by June 2021.

If folks are experiencing anxiety, depression, or signs of other mental health conditions, it’s important to seek help now – from a primary care provider, local mental health center, or other provider. Please don’t wait until the situation escalates into a crisis.

Find your local community mental health center:https://www.naminh.org/find-support/mental-health-centers/To connect with (non-crisis) resources & support in the Granite State, contact NAMI New Hampshire’s Info & Resource Line at info@NAMINH.org or 1-800-242-6264 (press 4).For 24/7 crisis support, visit: https://www.naminh.org/resources-2/crisis-lines/To learn about resources, supports,

FAQs, alternatives, rights and what to expect in the ED, visit: http://www.naminh.org/find-support/erwait/

NAMI NH shares ED boarding posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the most recently available data.

NAMI NH continues to make ED boarding a top priority of advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness and suicide.

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