Riverbend Now Has Mobile Crisis Services

Riverbend Community Mental Health Center announced yesterday the addition of Mobile Crisis Services for adults in central New Hampshire experiencing a severe emotional or behavior disturbance, or a psychiatric emergency, according to a press statement.

“Over the past two and a half years, we have made bipartisan progress to strengthen community-based mental health care and increase crisis-support services, helping to alleviate the strain on our hospitals’ emergency rooms,” Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, said in a statement. “When fully implemented, this mobile crisis unit response program will offer critical resources to help people with mental illness remain in community-based settings and provide them with the resources and support they need to lead healthy lives.”

A psychiatric crisis can be difficult for everyone. Individuals, families, first responders, healthcare providers, and others have limited resources and training, and until now have had no option except the emergency room. This process often adds to the crisis.

“We commend Riverbend on the deployment of its mobile crisis unit, a critical new effort to respond to mental health emergencies in the Concord region, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said DHHS Commissioner Nick Toumpas. “The mobile crisis unit will help individuals receiving treatment remain in the community, reduce ER visits and hospital stays, and serve as a state model for community-based mental health emergency and crisis intervention services.”

“Riverbend is honored to have been awarded this contract by the State of New Hampshire and are looking forward to rolling out services over the next few weeks,” stated

Riverbend’s CEO Peter Evers said the org was honored to have been awarded the state contract and was looking forward rolling out services this month.

“Our goal is to provide rapid assessment and targeted services to help individuals in the least restrictive setting and avoid lengthy and costly hospital emergency room visits,” he said.

Riverbend’s Mobile Crisis clinicians are available 24/7 by telephone – 1-844 -7-HELP4U (1-844 -743-5748) – to provide telephone response to a psychiatric emergency. Field response for adults will be operational from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days per week. Services may be provided in community settings, private residences, or other locations in response to requests by police, providers, community-based agencies, family members, guardians or the individual in crisis.

Plans are to expand field response to around the clock services and to have the program’s crisis stabilization apartments operational by Sept. 30.