The Problem

Too many people living in our communities are experiencing one or more barriers to accessing mental health care, including financial burden.

Existing nonprofits that focus on mental health care are unable to meet the current and growing need for services. Even with access to community mental health centers, there is a significant gap in the availability of and access to appropriate treatment options for a large portion of the Upper Valley population.

The graph to the right shows that 50% of respondents report access to mental health services as a very high priority in our community.

Farnsworth, B., Dumont, N. B., & Davis, H. R. (2019). *Community health needs assessment* (p.10). Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, and Visiting Nurse and Hospice for VT and NH.

Impact of COVID-19

Pre COVID-19

One in five people in the United States are suffering from a mental health condition.
50.1% of New Hampshire adults with mental health challenges were untreated
42.3% of Vermonters with a mental health diagnosis were untreated

During COVID-19

At the end of March 2020, 45% of respondents in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll felt that their mental health was negatively affected, up 12% from the beginning of the month.
In July 2020, 53% of a McKinsey & Company survey found that 53% respondents felt anxious and/or depressed.

The pandemic has led to broad mental health crises due to illness and fear, along with job, food, and housing insecurities. But even after a “new normal” begins, mental health care inequality will continue to exist in our communities.