Hannah Meiselman

I oppose HB1372 in its current form because the commission is structured around a carceral approach to mental illness rather than a clinical one. The absence of community mental-health providers, clinicians, peer specialists, and patient advocates—paired with the inclusion of Corrections—signals a shift toward institutionalization instead of strengthening the community-based services that evidence shows are most effective. New Hampshire needs solutions to ER boarding, homelessness, and gaps in acute care, but those solutions must prioritize dignity, housing, outpatient treatment, and modern standards of care. I urge the committee to amend the commission’s membership and scope to ensure that any recommendations reflect best practices in mental-health treatment, not a return to outdated institutional models.