DHHS officials presented the annual implementation update for New Hampshire's 10-year mental health plan on Oct. 24, reporting measurable progress across children's and adult services while flagging persistent staffing and capacity issues.

Daryl Tenney, Bureau Chief for Children's Behavioral Health, said prevention and early intervention programs (including Fast Forward, Early Childhood Wraparound and Transitional Enhanced Care Coordination) have grown and have collectively served more than 2,700 children and youth since inception. Tenney said those community programs aim to reduce need for higher levels of care and to shorten inpatient lengths of stay when hospitalization is required.

Tenney and Carolyn Lewis, Bureau Chief for Adult Mental Health Services, reported a decrease in the point-in-time count of children in residential treatment from 360 on Aug. 12 to 296 in early October 2025. They attributed the reduction to a combination of DCYF strategies and expanded community services. Tenney noted the data are point-in-time counts across multiple programs and placements.

The committee asked about the psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) in Hampstead: officials said the facility is licensed for 12 beds but, because of current staffing constraints, only 3 beds are being used. DHHS said the Hampstead/Dartmouth operator is actively recruiting and working with the department; DHHS stated the contractor is in compliance and admissions had briefly paused earlier to stabilize staffing.

On adult crisis measures, Lewis said certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) now include centers in Manchester, Nashua and West Central (Claremont) and provide 24/7 crisis access and integrated services. The statewide crisis access system handled more than 33,000 calls in 2024; officials said roughly 75 percent of those calls were resolved without further deployment. She also described Mission 0's progress: several days in the past six months reached zero patients waiting for psychiatric admission, and most days over the year have been single digits.

Officials highlighted housing supports and peer agencies as central to recovery and noted ongoing work to sustain crisis capacity, improve data-driven oversight and streamline access points. Committee members asked for further breakdowns (e.g., ED waits for active treatment versus placement waits) and for continued monitoring of PRTF staffing and fill rates.