In 2023, four of every ten Granite State high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks. In addition, more than one in five students seriously considered attempting suicide.1 A robust crisis care system is necessary to ensure our children receive the support they need. New Hampshire's crisis care system includes:
- Someone To Talk To: The New Hampshire Rapid Response Access Point provides 24/7 crisis counseling. The program assisted Granite Staters via call, text, and chat more than 34,600 times in 2023.2
- Someone To Respond: Ten mobile crisis response teams provide rapid on-site assessment and support.
- Somewhere To Go: Crisis stabilization centers in Derry and Laconia offer 23 hours of supervised care.
Despite the growing mental health crisis in our state, New Hampshire’s behavioral health crisis system is funded through a patchwork of sources that do not offer long-term stability.
To address this, the bipartisan Commission on Behavioral Health Crisis Services was created in 2023. This group studied ways to sustainably fund the crisis system and made recommendations which became the basis for 2025 legislation.
About the Legislation
2025 legislation proposes a fiscally responsible, commonsense solution that would make the bipartisan Commission's recommendations a reality. The crisis system would be permanently funded using the same proven model that has worked for our 911 system for decades.
The crisis care system protects access to timely and clinically appropriate services while preventing unnecessary and expensive hospitalizations. Access to crisis care reduces uncompensated care and wait times at our local hospitals' emergency departments.3,4
The legislation would protect taxpayers while ensuring our emergency services can respond effectively to all types of crises. Investments in crisis care also lower the burden of local first responders and police by reducing unnecessary 911 calls and dispatches.
Moving to a long-term funding model is critical to ensure the system continues to meet the needs of all Granite Staters.
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Attend or Testify at the Public Hearing
Show your support by attending or testifying at the public hearing! New Futures can help you prepare remarks, find the committee room, and offer moral support at the hearing.
The hearing for this bill has not yet been scheduled, but if you let us know you're interested, we will reach out when it is. Please click the button below to indicate your interest.
Status of Legislation
As the 2025 legislative session gets underway, the language of this legislation is currently being finalized. The bill text will likely be released in January. Please stay tuned for more information and how to get involved.
