NH DHHS Launches New Community-Oriented Program to Support People After Psychiatric Hospitalization

Concord, NH –The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announces the launch of Critical Time Intervention (CTI). CTI is a no-cost, intensive care transition program designed to connect people preparing for discharge from a psychiatric inpatient setting to services and supports in their home communities. This program is key to the Department advancing in its efforts to implement the State’s Ten-Year Mental Health Plan.

“Critical Time Intervention focuses on those first several months after someone is discharged from a psychiatric hospital setting,” said DHHS Commissioner Lori Shibinette. “Providing concrete, one-on-one support for people as they transition from hospital to home offers them a sense of stability and independence, and could potentially prevent a readmission to the inpatient setting.” 

CTI will play a critical role in ensuring that patients leaving hospital settings have access to the supports and services they need to improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary readmissions. A partnership among Designated Receiving Facilities, New Hampshire Hospital, and New Hampshire’s ten Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), CTI supports individuals as they move through the continuum of care, smoothing the transition between inpatient and outpatient services.  

When therapeutically appropriate, CTI coaches will work with individuals prior to discharge to develop goals as they return to their communities, which could include making living arrangements, securing employment, or arranging additional community mental health and social supports. After discharge, coaches will continue to work directly with residents in their communities to link them to sustainable supports and resources that can help them achieve those goals. 

People participating in CTI receive more intensive support at the beginning of the nine-month program, which gradually lessens as they grow more comfortable navigating the remainder of their transition. 

The CTI program will be available and coordinated through the following CMHCs: 

•    Riverbend Community Mental Health, Concord
•    Northern Human Services, Conway 
•    Center for Life Management, Derry
•    Community Partners, Dover
•    Monadnock Family Services, Keene 
•    The Lakes Region Mental Health Center, Laconia 
•    West Central Behavioral Health, Lebanon
•    The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester
•    Greater Nashua Mental Health Center
•    Seacoast Mental Health Center, Portsmouth

For more information on CTI, visit the Critical Time Intervention page. For information on the State’s Ten-Year Mental Health Plan, please visit the Ten-Year Mental Health Plan page.