The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (MHCGM) is the recipient of a $4 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to implement comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment by becoming a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester President and CEO William Rider released the following statement in response.

“MHCGM is honored to be the first mental health center in the state to receive this recognition. The SAMSHA funding will dramatically improve the health and welfare of people within the greater Manchester communities, particularly for vulnerable individuals, by increasing access to evidence-based substance use and mental health treatment services, including 24/7 crisis care. The population of MHCGM’s service area makes up about 15% of the population of the state while 56% of the clients we work with come from Medically Underserved Areas (MUA).  New Hampshire ranks low in a number of health categories including 17th highest rate of suicide in the nation, top 5 for opioid deaths in the nation, 38th in the nation for Substance use disorder diagnosis, 32nd in the nation for prevalence of Mental Illness, and 50th in the nation for adults with a mental health illness whose needs are being unmet.  Through this effort, MHCGM will address and improve these statistics.”

Much of the funding will be earmarked to help support the programs that provide community based intensive engagement and case management services that are based on improving the client’s social determinants that put them at risk.  Rider added, “Through our Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), our Integrated Transition Teams (ITT), and our Project for Assistance to Transition from Homelessness (PATH) team we will engage this at-risk population in the community, provide support, and warm hand-offs to support and care for client needs.

About The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester

The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (MHCGM) provides a broad range of services to 11,000 individuals annually, including business leaders and their employees, educators, veterans, seniors, and thousands of children. Within our continuum of care, programs, and initiatives, we operate the Cypress Center, a 16-bed acute psychiatric residential treatment program that serves as one of the states designated receiving facilities for adults in New Hampshire. Our division of Emergency Services & Interim Care (ES) provides 6,000+ crisis evaluations and emergency interventions within two community hospitals each year.  For persons experiencing crisis in the community, MHCGM’s Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) provides an immediate response through the deployment of mental health clinicians and peer support and recovery coaches and is available to the community 24/7/365.  MHCGM is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, and is the largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services in New Hampshire, who employees 450 and operates over 30 different programs.