• Psychiatric Emergency Services – telehealth for deployments.
• Substance Use Disorders/Choices – Building closed; all services converted to telehealth.
• Children’s Program – Building closing at 3:30; all services converted to telehealth.
• Community Support Program – Building closing at 3:30; all services converted to telehealth.
• Franklin Office – Building closing at 3:30; all services converted to telehealth.
• Residential Services (Mill House, Twitchell House) – standard operating procedures.
• 29 School Street (Riverbend Administration building) – closed to the public. Staff will be available but working remotely.

Fayette Street Residence Closure

With regret, 51°µÍø Mental Health will be closing its residential housing property at 4-6 Fayette Street in Concord this fall. The ten-bed facility currently provides housing for seven individuals.

Riverbend’s Board of Directors and senior team made this decision once it became apparent there would be insufficient state funding for residential services for the community mental health system. In collaboration with all of our partners from the Community Behavioral Health Association, we tried our best to secure funding for housing and uncompensated care in this state budget cycle. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the funds needed to keep the Fayette Street residence in operation. In addition, the funding picture at the federal level remains uncertain.

Housing is a critical service we take seriously. Riverbend offers several housing options for clients needing varied types of services, from semi-independent living to 24/7 care for those with severe persistent mental illness. In a challenging housing market, every bed and every housing option that serves those with mental illness is essential. We take pride in providing safe, stable housing for nearly 50 individuals in Merrimack County, with the appropriate levels of therapeutic services for each individual.

Riverbend greatly values its relationship with our clients. To make this move as seamless as possible and to ensure continuity of care, we are providing two months’ notice for affected clients and their families or caregivers to organize their future care plans and pursue other housing options. Current clients who meet appropriate clinical requirements will be transferred to other Riverbend residential properties. In addition, the four Riverbend staff working at Fayette Street are being offered other positions within our agency, as we seek to retain talented team members. The changeover and closure of the residential facility is expected to conclude by Tuesday, September 16.

It is tremendously disappointing to cease our operations at Fayette after years of providing a great service to the community. We remain grateful for the support our overall mental health care system continues to receive from individuals, donors, and community partners.

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51°µÍø Mental Health is a private non-profit and one of the largest providers of specialized behavioral health services for children, adults, and their families in central New Hampshire. Nearly 6,000 children, families and adults are served annually. Core services include 24/7 emergency services; counseling services; comprehensive community and school-based services for children; addiction recovery services; and community support, vocational services, and residential programs for adults and seniors. For more information, visit , or follow @RiverbendCMHC on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or LinkedIn.

GivingTuesday is a global day of generosity! Today, we invite you to join us in making a positive impact on mental health in our community. This special day offers a wonderful opportunity to support organizations that matter to you, and we hope you will consider choosing 51°µÍø Mental Health.

Riverbend provides vital mental health services, resources, and tools to those in need.

Every donation we receive helps us continue our mission and programs, ensuring that our family members, friends, neighbors and others in need have access to mental health care.

By participating in GivingTuesday, your generosity can help us:

• Provide assistance to individuals struggling with mental health challenges.
• Raise awareness about mental health and reduce stigma.
• Invest in programs, resources and staff to provide important services.

Whether you choose to make a one-time gift or set up a recurring donation, your giving makes a difference. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us create healthier, more supportive communities.

To donate, please visit our donation page here /donate/.

Together, we can foster hope and healing for those who need it most.

How Can You Can Make a Difference? 

• Support our mission by donating to the Transforming Lives Through Support Naming Initiative. 
• Receive recognition with a named space or program within our agency.
• Leave a lasting impact on mental health in our community, and serve as an example to others.

Why Your Support Matters

Your donation will help us:

• Sustain our mental health programs and services.
• Reach more individuals in need of support.
• Continue to break down stigma and barriers to mental health care.
• Create a brighter future for our community.

The changing terms of Medicaid coverage from the pandemic era (2020-2023) have had a serious financial impact on mental health providers, making community support and funding more essential than ever. Riverbend established the Transforming Lives through Support Naming Initiative to secure crucial support for our organization’s programs, enabling us to maintain our reach and impact in Merrimack County and beyond.

Earlier this year, Riverbend relocated its administrative offices to downtown Concord, enhancing its community visibility, while transforming the former administrative office space at 278 Pleasant Street into a 12-bed community residence. The residence serves individuals with severe persistent mental illness, addressing a crucial need in our community and helping to mitigate emergency room boarding. By offering naming opportunities for rooms and spaces, we aim to generate vital resources to support our programs and continue to provide a healing environment. An example of the many services and programs Riverbend offers include:

• Counseling for children and families
• Autism supports
• Community Support: offering specialized services for adults with severe mental illness
• Walk-in care
• Integrated health
• Supported employment services
• Residential treatment programs
• Addiction & Recovery: Our Choices program provides outpatient addiction treatment
• Psychiatric Emergency Services:
• Mobile crisis team
• Crisis stabilization apartments
• Wellness education
  • Mental Health First Aid training
  • Trauma response services for those affected by critical incidents

Consider a tribute to a loved one or family through our Naming Initiative while simultaneously making a direct, immediate difference in one’s life! Local businesses, families and individuals have heeded this call, and we welcome others to our giving circle.

If you are interested in being a part of this initiative, please email our Director of Development, Brenda Aziz, at baziz@riverbendcmhc.org.

President & CEO

51°µÍø Mental Health

51°µÍø Mental Health Center, Inc. made the thoughtful but painful decision to close its adult outpatient practice known as Riverbend Counseling Associates (RCA) this summer. The practice, located at 105 Loudon Road, Building 4 in Concord –  will close on Friday, August 16, 2024.

The decision to close is strictly a business decision, and no reflection on our wonderful providers or our recognition of the acute need for care in our community. We have been committed to providing services to the broader community for many years, and we have tried to find ways to sustain the operations of this program. The clinical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and countless other community stressors on the demand for services have been well documented, with other health care providers also facing difficult times. The Medicaid unwind has been particularly difficult, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue and uncompensated care that significantly impacted our overall financial health as an organization.

Our first priorities have been notifying our clients and our staff. Though we are providing full service through our closing date, our team at RCA has been working with existing clients to transition their treatment plans. We started notifying clients in mid-June — purposefully providing two months’ notice so that clients would be able to meet with their therapists and organize future treatment plans. For our staff, we are trying to provide alternative employment opportunities within our broader agency where possible.

It is tremendously disappointing to me, the leadership at Riverbend and the Board of Directors that we needed to close this program; it has been a great service to our community. We are proud and humbled to have served so many in the community in their mental health journeys.

Our management team and Board of Directors will continue to work with partners at the community and state level to secure funding and raise awareness for essential mental health programs like those at Riverbend. We have a 60-year record of service to our community and it is our hope to provide critical mental health care and services for years to come.

Many thanks to the community sponsors who helped support this informative and engaging event: JH Spain Associates, Mason + Rich, NAMI New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Riverbend will take part in this year’s , a statewide, 24-hour online fundraising event designed to build community, connect donors to local nonprofits, and generate excitement about the nonprofit sector. Contributions made through NH Gives will go towards Riverbend’s programs and services, benefiting the mental health needs of residents in the 30 communities Riverbend serves in central New Hampshire.

The largest online nonprofit fundraising event in New Hampshire begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11 and finishes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12.

You can take part in this effort by:

SHARING: Let friends, family and colleagues know you’re taking part. Share our emails, share or repost Riverbend’s social media updates, and encourage people to learn more about NH Gives.

DONATING: Make a contribution of your choosing during the 24-hour giving period.

ENGAGING & ENCOURAGING: Start a peer-to-peer fundraising page on NH Gives, and share with your networks. (contact Riverbend’s Community Affairs team at: development@riverbendcmhc.org for assistance with setting up your page).

Share in the benevolence, share in the sense of community, and share in making a difference by showing your support for Riverbend and/or other nonprofits doing important work in New Hampshire.

#NHGives

Riverbend’s President & CEO Lisa Madden transitional housing plays in the system of mental health care. Community-based, supportive housing is an important link in mental health healing and recovery. Madden was speaking before a Health and Human Services committee hearing in the New Hampshire Senate on January 10, 2024.

Riverbend offers safe and supportive care for people at varied stages of mental health recovery. Learn more about our residential programs.