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After Lawsuit Forces Increased Spending, N.H.'s Mental Health Legislation Wins Praise

NHPR Staff

After being forced by a lawsuit to spend more on mental health, New Hampshire is winning praise from a national advocacy group for increasing funding and passing bills in 2015 aimed at giving people better access to care.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness on Tuesday released a report tracking state spending and legislation on mental health that shows New Hampshire is one of 11 states that increased mental health funding every year since 2013.

The new spending is partly because of a legal settlement New Hampshire signed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2013 over inadequate community mental health services. The current state budget includes $23 million for the settlement over the next two years.

State advocates say services are improving, but the goals in the settlement are far from being fully implemented.

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