Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital, which houses a 30-bed behavioral health unit, temporarily doubled the number of its involuntary inpatient beds to decrease wait times for mental health patients.
The change was effective March 10. A lack of open beds in New Hampshire's emergency rooms spurred the decision.
"Portsmouth Regional Hospital has always been committed to providing access to inpatient mental health and given the current crisis in the state of New Hampshire, we felt compelled to step up for the benefit of the Seacoast and greater New Hampshire," Dean Carucci, Portsmouth Regional Hospital CEO, said in a statement.