Access to Mental Health Services

Goal Statement: All people in the Upper Valley community have the support they need along their life span to reach optimal mental wellness, including prevention and education, early detection and intervention, and stigma-free.

“There are not enough counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, or social workers. One agency worker explained that they have the highest number of clinical staff vacancies in 50 years.”
—Key Stakeholder

How is this problem affecting our community?

What are we doing to address this problem in our community?

Collaboration and Service Improvement

Three Community Mental Health Agencies in the region will become Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers by 2026.
Work with law enforcement agencies to increase use of mobile mental health crisis response to improve connections between individuals in crisis and community-based services.
Facilitate a process to improve navigation of health insurance options, social service programs, and other resources available to people in need to identify and close gaps. Implement or create a tool to increase access to information and increase coordination among providers.
To increase the connection of individuals aged 50+ to needed resources in the region.

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Education

Increase the number of community members trained in Mental Health First Aid to reduce stigma and increase appropriate responses to people in mental health crises.
Increase the number of community members trained in CONNECT Suicide Prevention to reduce stigma and increase appropriate responses to people in mental health crisis.
Promote resources for mental health crisis response to increase community awareness of appropriate services based on need (includes Mobile Crisis Response, 988 and other hotline services). Partners: WCBH, HCRS, Headrest.
Promote and replicate (as needed) Mental Health Resource Guide created by MAHHC.

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Advocacy

Host Bi-State Legislative Breakfast every two years to engage state policy makers in discussion of local health priorities.

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Equity

Conduct a systematic review of health care and behavioral health care access in the Upper Valley from the perspective of traditionally marginalized groups and their overall wellbeing.
Increase capacity of grassroots and small organizations representing people with lived experience of health inequities to address the concerns of their communities independently through grantmaking and technical assistance.
Improve referral networks and capacity to support vulnerable populations in the places where they live.