Collaboration and Service Improvement:

• Three Community Mental Health Agencies in the region will become Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers by 2026. 

• Work with law enforcement agencies to increase use of mobile mental health crisis response to improve connections between individuals in crisis and community-based services.

• Facilitate a process to improve navigation of health insurance options, social service programs, and other resources available to people in need to identify and close gaps. Implement or create a tool to increase access to information and increase coordination among providers. 

• To increase the connection of individuals aged 50+ to needed resources in the region. 

Education:

• Increase the number of community members trained in Mental Health First Aid to reduce stigma and increase appropriate responses to people in mental health crises. 

• Increase the number of community members trained in CONNECT Suicide Prevention to reduce stigma and increase appropriate responses to people in mental health crisis.

• Promote resources for mental health crisis response to increase community awareness of appropriate services based on need

• Promote and replicate (as needed) Mental Health Resource Guide created by MAHHC. 

Advocacy:

• Host Bi-State Legislative Breakfast every two years to engage state policymakers in discussion of local health priorities. 

Equity: 

• Conduct a systematic review of health care and behavioral health care access in the Upper Valley from the perspective of traditionally marginalized groups and their overall wellbeing. 

• Increase capacity of grassroots and small organizations representing people with lived experience of health inequities to address the concerns of their communities independently through grantmaking and technical assistance. 

• Improve referral networks and capacity to support vulnerable populations in the places where they live.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), over 30% of the United States population lives in a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). When considering Mental Health HPSAs, however, this number jumps to approximately 50%. The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that one in five adults in the United States live with a mental health condition. Positive mental health corresponds to a person's ability to live a healthy, satisfying life. Access to mental health providers is a crucial aspect of improving community health. 

• West Central Behavioral Health (WCBH)
• Health Care & Rehabilitation Services (HCRS)
• Clara Martin Center
• Public Health Council (PHC)
• Service Link
• Area Council on Aging Partners
• Upper Valley Service Coordinators Roundtable
• Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC)
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock All Together
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Injury Prevention Center
• National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire (NAMI-NH)
• Headrest
• Upper Valley Equity Anti-Racism (UVEAR) Leadership Team 
• Upper Valley Community Health Equity Partnership (UVCHEP) Steering Committee

Data Overview: The National Provider Identification (NPI) Registry provides data about the number of mental health providers in each county. The number of available providers is compared in a ratio to the county's population. This metric assumes that providers are distributed evenly amongst the entire county population. 

Limitations: The 2015 County Health Rankings report begins to include mental health professionals who specialize in marriage and family medicine, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. Providers in the NPI registry can deactivate their identification number if they are no longer practicing, but some may fail to do so, leading to an overestimation of the availability of mental health providers.