Senate Bill 534, the major policy initiative of the Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative, working with Senator Jeanie Forrester, has passed two legislative milestones. On February 11, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted that the bill “ought to pass.” Then on March 3, the full Senate passed the bill. Both were moments that all Collaborative members can celebrate. The legislation next proceeds to House committees for approval.
NH4Youth Blog
O n February 10, the N.H. House of Representatives voted in favor of reauthorizing the N.H. Health Protection Program, continuing health insurance coverage for nearly 48,000 Granite Staters. Approximately 6,700 of these individuals will likely access treatment services for substance use disorders. The N.H. Health Protection Program is the single-most important tool New Hampshire has to address its opioid epidemic, our state’s number one public health crisis.
On Saturday, April 16 the New Hampshire chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds their yearly conference at the Grappone Center in Concord. This conference is for people living with mental illness and for the families and other people who love and support them. People come from all over the state to be part of a day of hope, to connect with others in similar life situations, and to learn.
The Laconia School District is in year three of Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Program implementation. The SS/HS Program has five elements of focus:
1) Promoting early childhood social and emotional learning and development
2) Promoting mental, emotional, and behavioral health
3) Connecting families, schools, and communities
4) Preventing behavioral health problems, including substance use
5) Creating safe and violence-free schools
The New Hampshire Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative and the New Hampshire Health & Equity Partnership joined forces to offer a 40-hour Diversity & Cultural Competence train the trainer program. From January 7th through January 13th our partners from FAST Forward, Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Project Aware, Project LAUNCH, and the Bureau of Developmental Services (Family Centered Early Supports and Services) participated in this interactive training.
This summer, moviegoers of all ages were treated to films and television shows that talked openly and honestly about mental health. In “Love & Mercy,” John Cusack gave an honest and engaging performance as Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, which included Wilson’s schizoaffective disorder and his ongoing recovery with the help of his wife Melinda.
"While there are certainly children and youth who should receive psychotropic medications, states must have oversight and monitoring mechanisms to determine when this is - or is not - the case."
The following blog is a response to another blog posted on the Morning Zen - SAMHSA is under attack
People affected by suicide loss will gather around the world, on November 22, 2025 at events in their local communities to find comfort and gain understanding as they share stories of healing and hope.
My name is Debbie Baird and I'm a Loss Survivor. I lost my son Matthew to suicide in January of 2009, and my world turned upside down with this tragedy. The loss was unbearable.
Today's NH4Youth blog is the landing page for hope.
Hope is what the Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative website is all about.
Our audience
I watched the Communications and Social Marketing Workgroup work hard to identify who would visit the site and what they would be looking for.