Senator Whitley Introduces SB 157, Advocates for Children’s Mental Health Services
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD – Today, Senator Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton) introduced SB 157 to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. SB 157 extends a prior appropriation to DHHS for child welfare behavioral health services, requires that the New Hampshire 10-year mental health plan include a report on implementation of 2019, 44 (SB 14), relative to child welfare, and establishes funded positions in the DHHS contracts and procurement unit.
After the hearing, prime sponsor Senator Becky Whitley (D-Hopkinton) issued the following statement:
“Over the weekend, 51 children in mental health crisis were waiting in emergency rooms for care across the state. This crisis has been building for years and has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Even one child waiting in an emergency room for care shows a failure of our system. In 2019, the legislature passed Senate Bill 14 which brought close to $20 million to the children’s system and much needed reforms. SB 157 is necessary to protect these reforms and further support children and families desperate to receive the right care at the right time and the right place.”
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