Mental health and substance use challenges have reached crisis levels across New Hampshire. Emergency departments are overwhelmed, families struggle to find timely care and too many Granite Staters fall through the cracks because services are fragmented, understaffed, or unavailable — especially in rural communities.
There is, however, a proven solution that offers New Hampshire a real opportunity to strengthen its behavioral health while improving access, quality and outcomes: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.
These clinics are not a pilot idea or an untested reform. They are a nationally recognized model of care that delivers comprehensive, coordinated mental health and substance-use services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. At their core, the clinics are designed to meet people where they are — during a mental health crisis, while managing substance use recovery, or when navigating co-occurring conditions that too often go untreated.
Since the model launched in 2017 through a federal demonstration, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics have expanded rapidly across the country. The National Council on Mental Wellbeing reports more than 500 clinics and grantees are operating in 46 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Research consistently shows that they expand services, grow the workforce, reduce wait times and serve more people with complex needs while improving care coordination with hospitals, primary care providers, law enforcement, schools and social service agencies.
For New Hampshire, the potential impact is especially significant.
Our state faces longstanding workforce shortages in mental health and substance use treatment. The model directly addresses this challenge by supporting sustainable staffing levels through a Medicaid payment structure that reflects the true cost of providing care. That stability allows providers to recruit and retain clinicians, peer support specialists and crisis workers — building a workforce that communities can rely on.
The clinics also strengthen crisis response. Instead of relying on emergency rooms or law enforcement as the default entry point into care, they provide round-the-clock crisis services, mobile response and follow-up care that keeps people connected to treatment.
That means fewer psychiatric boarding cases in hospitals, less strain on first responders, and better outcomes for individuals and families.
Equally important, CCBHCs break down silos. The model requires strong partnerships across the health care system and beyond — connecting mental health and substance use treatment with primary care, housing supports, child welfare, veterans’ services and criminal justice programs. For a state like New Hampshire, where collaboration is essential to serving rural and underserved areas, this integrated approach is critical.
The framework is guided by rigorous federal standards developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, with oversight and payment guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These standards ensure accountability, data-driven outcomes and a consistent level of quality — while still allowing services to be tailored to local community needs.
New Hampshire does not need to reinvent its behavioral health system. We need to build on what works. The state has not sat idle on this opportunity to modernize their system of care. Currently, three of New Hampshire’s ten community mental health centers — the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Greater Nashua Mental Health Center and West Central Behavioral Health — have voluntarily and seamlessly transitioned to a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model. Other centers are building on that success and expertise and with new opportunities through the Rural Health Transformation initiative awarded to New Hampshire, centers will also capitalize on the benefits of the model.
By advancing the model, our state can expand access to care, stabilize the workforce, improve crisis response and create a more coordinated and effective system for people living with mental health and substance use challenges. This is not about bureaucracy or buzzwords — it is about ensuring that when someone in New Hampshire needs help, the door to care is open, no matter who they are or where they live.
At a time when the need has never been greater, these clinics offer a clear, evidence-based path forward. New Hampshire should seize this opportunity to strengthen its behavioral health system — for today and for generations to come.
Patricia Carty is CEO of the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester. Dr. Cynthia Whitaker is CEO of Greater Nashua Mental Health Center. Lori Shibinette is the CEO of West Central Behavioral Health Center.