NH hospital can't hold more minors

With fewer beds available due to budget cuts, the wing of the state hospital that houses mentally ill children and teenagers has suspended admissions for the second week in a row. The Anna Philbrook Unit stopped admitting children Thursday and was still at capacity late Friday afternoon. A week earlier, the unit had to suspend admissions for 48 hours.

That hasn't happened in "a very long time," said New Hampshire Hospital's acting CEO, Paula Mattis. But she said she expects the hospital will be forced to continue suspending admissions now that children and adolescents are being housed in the same wing.

Before this year, children age 14 and under who needed to be involuntarily admitted to the state hospital went to a separate building, the Anna Philbrook Center.