Still two years away, the completion of a new secure mental health hospital in Concord won’t be the right setting for some individuals held in correctional facilities with acute mental illness.

“Not all of the patients in SPU [secure psychiatric unit] would be appropriate or necessitate a transition to the forensic facility,” said Ellen LaPointe, CEO of New Hampshire Hospital at Monday evening’s online information session to provide an update on the project. “It is the intention for the SPU to remain open and in service to the Department of Corrections for those individuals who need to remain incarcerated.”

In New Hampshire, the 24-bed forensic hospital that will be constructed adjacent to the New Hampshire Hospital will provide a facility to treat mental illness in forensic patients including those who are civilly committed, which the state now lacks.

The selected contractor, PC Construction with the lowest bid of $41.9 million has started work with job trailers parked and construction signage posted at the construction site.

“I think when we went out for the bid we realized that we were short a significant amount of money from the lowest bid so we repurposed  money within our existing budget to be able to award that contract at the price specified,” said Lori Weaver, the interim commissioner of the State Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

One of the designs discussed during the public presentation was the facility’s courtyard. It is planned to be surrounded by a 16-foot fence consisting of a combination of steel welded wire mesh and wood planks to ensure the safety of patients and staff.

With more than 35 attendees at the online session, questions from the public were focused on the treatment of mental health individuals, the expansion of hospital capacity, and the timeline of the project.

In response to a specific question about the use of force, LaPointe acknowledged that while rare in New Hampshire Hospital, there have been instances of the use of force, including the deployment of Tasers.

Police are stationed on the grounds of the New Hampshire Hospital with officers trained through the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training academy and ongoing programs, who are authorized to use Tasers in the hospital environment.

LaPointe said that the forensic hospital would be fully prepared to employ Tasers if deemed necessary in specific cases.

The construction is expected to take two years and will be completed at the end of the summer of 2025.

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