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State pushes back info session on new mental health plan

Keene Sentinel - 10/19/2018

Oct. 19--CONCORD -- The N.H. Department of Health and Human Services has changed the date of an upcoming public information session on the state's new 10-year mental health plan now under development.

The Concord session, one of several held in New Hampshire communities, will be Nov. 15; previously, it was scheduled for Oct. 25.

The later date will enable the state health department to better use input from earlier sessions in devising the draft plan and will give people time to review it in advance of the meeting, according to a news release. Officials expect to post the draft to the department's website on or about Oct. 29.

"The landscape of mental health has changed significantly since the previous Ten-Year Mental Health Plan was developed in 2008," N.H. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey A. Meyers said in a news release last month from the state agency.

"We continue to see an increase in demand for inpatient psychiatric treatment services, more children and families requiring a broad array of services, and the impact of the opioid epidemic on individuals, families and communities," Meyers said. "If the new Plan is to address mental health needs today and tomorrow, it is critical that we have input from all stakeholders, most importantly those who rely on these critical services."

The department kicked off the public information sessions last month at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene.

The Concord session is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Division of Public Health Services Auditorium at 29 Hazen Drive.

People needing accommodations, including interpreters, CART (captioning) or assistive listening devices, can contact Laura Rebolledo at 271-9544 or Laura.Rebolledo@dhhs.nh.gov and are asked to do so at least five business days in advance.

More information about the plan is available at www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/bbh/10-year-mh-plan.htm.

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(c)2018 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)

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