On January 1st, New Hampshire became the latest of more than 35 states to implement statewide mobile crisis response teams (MCRT) for behavioral health issues. Center for Life Management (CLM) launched our MCRT in July 2021 and the new program builds on the three MCRTs already operating in Concord, Manchester and Nashua by expanding the service statewide and adding a 24/7 crisis line. This is a collaboration between the state’s ten Community Mental Health Centers, Beacon Health Options, and the NH Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and represents a monumental step to reduce barriers to accessing behavioral health services in our state.
The NH Rapid Response Access Point hotline (AP) went live at midnight on January 1 and began receiving calls, texts and chats from the public. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by mental health professionals who will assist callers in managing their immediate emotional distress. If the AP’s mental health professional determines the caller needs more than a telephonic intervention, they will dispatch one of the state’s Community Mental Health Center MCRTs. The goal is for the MCRT to respond, in person, within an hour of being dispatched. In the first ten days of operations, the hotline handled more than 1,300 phone calls, 32 text conversations and 77 online chats. Additionally, it dispatched MCRT more than 230 times to assist persons in crisis.
Center for Life Management this region’s community mental health center, along with the other nine Community Mental Health Centers in New Hampshire, is committed to the success of the NH Rapid Response System. Currently, NH’s Rapid Response Access Point number is a 10-digit toll free number. In the summer of 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 10-digit number will be replaced with a simple three-digit number: 988. Until then, if you or someone you know needs immediate help for a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text the NH Rapid Response Access Point phone number: 833-710-6477 or visit NH988.com.