The renovated Hampstead Hospital has now been transformed into East Acres at Hampstead. The hospital has been established to provide psychiatric care for children and is set to begin accepting patients from next week. The state bought the hospital with aid from the federal government. The 12-bed facility is geared towards providing advanced psychiatric care for young patients who would otherwise have to travel out of state to receive it.
The hospital celebrates its launching, however, Governor Chris Sununu acknowledges that more work still needs to be done to improve the state’s mental healthcare system. As the Governor stated, “It doesn’t matter what it is, male or female. It can happen to anyone at any time of the day. So as a state, it’s important to make sure these types of services are available.”
The state’s plan to end the use of emergency rooms for psychiatric treatment is expected to be reduced. The court had given the state a year to end the practice, but now the state says it will be done within two years. The Governor states that he is not sure whether the court schedule would be realistic, but he assures that the state will try to comply.
As of May 26, there were 15 children in New Hampshire waiting for psychiatric treatment, while 15 beds were unavailable. The reasons for the unavailability of beds were attributed to renovations and staffing with 16 people awaiting psychiatric treatment.