Successful NH NAMIWalks; New VT Mental Health Urgent Care; VT Ending Pipe Distribution Program; Safety Concerns at MA State Hospitals

Record-Breaking turnout for NAMIWalks New Hampshire

More than 2,000 participants gathered in Concord for NAMIWalks New Hampshire, setting a new record for attendance and raising more than $275,000 to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention across the state.

The annual event, organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire, continues to grow as residents, clinicians, educators, and advocates rally around mental health causes. The funds will help sustain education campaigns, peer support programs, and outreach services that reduce stigma and expand access to care.

Organizers noted that the strong turnout underscores the increasing willingness of communities to engage in open conversations about mental illness and recovery. Fundraising will continue through November, with the total expected to surpass previous years.

NAMI New Hampshire plans to direct much of the support toward youth mental health initiatives, advocacy for policy change, and expansion of community programs throughout the state. The event served as both a celebration of progress and a reminder that demand for mental health services continues to rise statewide.

Vermont to launch mental health urgent care center in Newport

Vermont is preparing to open a new mental health urgent care center in Newport this November, designed to provide immediate, non-emergency support for people experiencing psychological distress.

The center will serve as an alternative to hospital emergency departments, offering rapid assessments, crisis stabilization, brief therapy, and referrals to follow-up care. The initiative is part of a statewide effort to improve crisis response and make mental health services more accessible, particularly in rural areas where treatment options are limited.

Funded through a mix of state appropriations and federal relief dollars, the facility is intended to ease the strain on emergency rooms and first responders while ensuring that individuals in crisis receive timely, specialized care in a therapeutic setting.

State mental health officials describe the project as a step toward modernizing Vermont’s behavioral health system and filling long-recognized service gaps. The Newport location is one of several planned across the state to strengthen early intervention and prevent avoidable hospitalizations.

Vermont’s Howard Center to end pipe distribution program

The Howard Center in Burlington, Vermont, will discontinue its harm reduction program that supplied safer-use pipes to people who use drugs. The decision, effective in November, follows funding limitations and concerns among community members about public substance use.

The program was part of a broader harm reduction strategy aimed at lowering disease transmission risks and engaging individuals with health and treatment services. While that component is ending, the Howard Center will continue to operate its needle exchange, counseling, overdose prevention education, and substance use treatment programs.

Leaders at the organization have said the choice reflects a need to balance harm reduction goals with community expectations and available financial resources. Advocates for harm reduction have expressed concern that the change could reduce outreach opportunities for people at high risk of overdose.

The decision comes amid wider debate across Vermont over how to maintain public safety while addressing rising overdose deaths and expanding access to evidence-based substance use care. The Howard Center remains one of the state’s primary providers of both mental health and addiction services.

Massachusetts unions highlight safety concerns at state hospitals

Two unions representing caregivers at Massachusetts’ state psychiatric hospitals have released a report warning that current admission practices are compromising patient and staff safety.

According to the report, increasing numbers of court-involved, or forensic, patients are being admitted to state hospitals without adequate preparation, staff training, or security measures. Facilities most affected include Worcester Recovery Center, Tewksbury State Hospital, and Taunton State Hospital.

The unions argue that this shift has led to greater incidents of violence, injuries among healthcare workers, and heightened stress for both patients and staff. They describe the trend as a gradual “forensification” of the state’s behavioral health system, in which hospitals originally designed for long-term treatment are now managing complex forensic populations.

To address the issue, the unions are urging lawmakers to approve pending legislation that would establish specialized forensic units within state hospitals. The proposal will be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, which is currently considering reforms to improve safety and quality of care.

The report frames the situation as an urgent workforce and patient welfare concern requiring immediate state attention.