CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire has plenty of resources available to help children with mental health issues, but advocates say it can be difficult for families to access them.

They claim the system is fragmented, with differing approaches to care and multiple providers.

Effie Malley, director of the New Hampshire Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative, says her organization hears from families that their children are missing out on help.

She cites needless duplication and delays, but says a bill that passed the state Senate and is now in the House would provide better coordination, by adopting what's called a system-of-care approach.

"It's for kids with serious mental health challenges involved in multiple systems, such as juvenile justice, maybe the child protective system, the mental health system," she says. "But it's also for all kids, in that we want to promote wellness and mental health."

Malley says the system should make it easier for families who currently end up on demanding schedules trying to keep all the appointments with various agencies whose efforts aren't coordinated and approaches aren't integrated.

The measure, Senate Bill 534, is headed next to the House Committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs.

Malley says they looked at a number of states, including Maine, that have already enacted this approach, and are encouraged by what they found.

"There have been numerous states and counties all over the country that have adopted a system-of-care approach," Malley says. "Children did better in school, they had lower rates of suicide, and return for the states was a positive investment."

The lead sponsor for the coordination-of-care bill is Sen. Jeanie Forrester. It comes up for the committee hearing on April 5 at 10 a.m.


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Parents in North Dakota are likely getting a sense of how their child's school year is going so far. If bullying issues have emerged, the research community hopes educators and families take a careful approach to achieve better outcomes now and in the future.

Throughout Bullying Prevention Month in October, messaging on this topic is likely to be prominent in school settings.

Shelley Hymel, a retired developmental and educational psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia has done extensive research in this field. She said it's no surprise that repeated bullying can negatively affect a student's academic performance, and how they deal with problems the rest of their lives.

Hymel wants anyone who still thinks it makes a child more resilient to think again.

"Kids who are victimized, you know, just sit there all day wondering what's going to happen to them next. I've had notes from kids saying how that's their life, that's how their world is," she said.

Hymel said that's why it's important for schools to not lose sight of social and emotional learning and teach children empathy. North Dakota law requires districts to adopt a bullying policy and explain it to students. On its website, the Department of Public Instruction offers guidance for parents, including listening calmly and offering comfort and support if their child says they're being targeted.

Hymel said researchers are still finding new tidbits of information, even after schools have adopted successful approaches. For example, in school settings where bullying was significantly reduced, the few remaining students still being singled out had it even worse.

"When you end up being the last kid, the one kid who was still being bullied, it takes a toll on your self esteem," she explained.

That's why the academic community, schools, and parents need to remain vigilant about overcoming any side effects as policies take shape, she added. Earlier this year, British researchers released findings showing bullying in childhood lowers the probability of having a job throughout adulthood, and puts a person at greater risk for premature death.


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Mental health is a top issue for voters, and candidates running for office across Colorado are pledging to make it a priority if elected.

Kathleen Daughety, vice president of campaigns and civic engagement with Inseparable, said if people can get treatment, they can thrive. But if they can't, the situation can get much, much worse.

She pointed to a recent survey showing that half of all Americans who need mental health care aren't able to get it, and said one of the biggest barriers is that health insurance companies aren't doing their part.

"People are buying insurance policies expecting to get care when they need it. And then when they are sick, insurance companies are denying the care that their doctors are prescribing," she explained.

Nearly nine in ten voters say expanding access to mental health care should be a priority, ranking it just as high as lowering the cost of living. So far, 80 Colorado candidates have signed a Mental Health Now statement of support, more than any other state. The statement calls for policies that increase access to mental health care, improve crisis response, and expand youth mental health services, especially in schools.

Colorado is one of many states that lack facilities to place people experiencing severe mental illness. In 1955, there were nearly 6,000 psychiatric beds in the state. In 2023 the number dropped to 482.

Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan, is running unopposed for House District 63 and signed the Mental Health Now statement of support.

"We shouldn't be using jail as a place to get mental health resources. But when you have nowhere to take them, they end up in our prisons, or back on the street, and then they go and hurt themselves worse, or hurt somebody else. It would be nice if we had places that would take them on the spot," Johnson said.

Since 2015, one out of five people killed by police were experiencing a mental health emergency. Daughety said the goal for politicians should be to make law enforcement involvement in crises the exception, not the rule.

"If someone is having a mental health emergency, they need a mental health specific response, they don't need a law enforcement response. Law enforcement says these calls are really stressful. They're not trained for them," Daughety contended.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is introducing federal legislation to boost mental health equity.

The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act allocates $995 million in grant funding over five years for states to use to reduce disparities in mental health care, which comes as a new report showed Connecticut teen suicides doubled from this time last year.

Janelle Posey-Green, founder of the Connecticut BIPOC Mental Health and Wellness Initiative, said teens need more education on the language of mental health.

"I really think we need is more education on what to look for so that way friends can check in on friends and they know the warning signs and even have, maybe, a script or a narrative that they can go to," Posey-Green suggested. "Let's normalize that at some point you may feel depressed."

She recommended it should be done through a community initiative involving schools and parents. Aside from the bill's funding, Connecticut is receiving more than $4 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand mental and behavioral health, and substance use disorder services.

However, disparities in care are not the only thing preventing people from accessing mental health care. Studies show women of color are at higher risk for mental health issues but are less likely to seek treatment.

Posey-Green observed as much as the Black community can lift people up, things such as "strong Black woman syndrome" can hold women of color back from talking about their mental health.

"Where does this woman who is expected to be so strong get the opportunity to talk about how hard it is that from childhood to adulthood she's faced with many microaggressions and major aggressions over her life period that impact her mental health?" Posey-Green asked.

Other issues such as cultural differences can pose a challenge. Posey-Green works with a collective of providers for patients to access mental health professionals with similar backgrounds. She argued providers should be trained in cultural humility rather than cultural competency.

"Why it's important for providers to lean towards cultural humility and be trained well with understanding how cultural humility can help with providing better service is because it also teaches you to check your unconscious biases," Posey-Green stressed.