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Round up: A look
at inpatient psychiatry
in New England
NEW
HAMPSHIRE
(May
2005 Issue)
In New Hampshire, psychiatric admissions are at an all-time high
and have been increasing steadily over the past 10 years. However,
the overall bed capacity has not kept pace with that growth.
According to Geoff Souther, bureau chief of behavioral health for
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the state-run
hospitals saw nearly 1,800 admissions last year. That number is
up from less than 1,000 per year a decade ago.
The growth in admissions is not surprising when compared to the
growth in the N.H. population overall. In the first three years
of the new millennium, New Hampshire's population saw a 4.2% increase.
While some of that comes from births, most of the increase is because
of people migrating to the state from other states (or other countries).
"If you look at the increase in admissions," he says, "you can
plot it out according to the growth in population. New Hampshire
is the fastest growing state in New England and one of the fastest
growing nationally."
The growth in the state's population, especially along the southern
tier, along with the lack of growth in the number of available beds
has brought the state close to crisis point. So far, Souther adds,
they have been able to avoid turning anyone away, but it has been
close.
"It is strained," he says. "We will have a couple of nights where
we have only two or three beds available. We are doing our best
to do what we can and to work with community programs to get people
out as quickly as possible and to get them the support they need
to keep them out."
The DHHS, like most state agencies, has been dealing with level
funding, at best, for several years. It has not been able to start
new community programs and instead gears its efforts toward keeping
those that do exist up and running.
"We are pretty much in maintenance mode," Souther says.
The future of the system all depends on the budget, he adds. The
state is currently in the midst of its biannual budget process and
legislators are looking at a request for funding to increase the
capacity of group home beds, he explains.
The financial appropriation may or may not pass. Either way, Souther
says, the department will work to keep those programs now working
open and increase others where possible.
Catherine Robertson Souter
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