b'LEFT TO RIGHT: Welcome New Medical StaffKathleen Sacco, LICSW; Michelle Brumaghim, APRN; Alycia McDuff, Practice Manager; Sandra Roy, Office Assistant; Karen Langley, LICSW; Donna Houghton,Office Assistant; Michele Gunning, MD, Medical Director; Roberta Peladeau, RN; Roger Cawley, PhD; Margot Schmitt, LICSWMCH Behavioral Health: Michelle Brumaghim, APRN-PMH Tiffany Gaudet, APRN Kayla Kokal, APRNWere Here for Our Community, 24/7 Monadnock Behavioral Health Services Monadnock Behavioral Health Services Monadnock Family CareFor MCH Behavioral Health clinicians, helping peopleof virtual counseling. They dont have to deal with overcome mental health challenges isnt just a missionits atransportation, weather, or child care issues. That cancalling. From depression and anxiety to substance misuse andmean fewer missed appointments and better outcomes.addiction, behavioral health challenges touch millions of lives. As COVID wanes, Dr. Gunning says MCHs Behavioral In New Hampshire, over 37% of residents report strugglingHealth Department is focused on increasing its community with occasional feelings of anxiety or depression, and closeoutreach and services. Mental health care needs to be to 221,000 are living with a more serious behavioral healthavailable to everyone, from the person in immediate crisis to issue.* During the pandemic, those numbers increased duesomeone with a longer-term challenge, she says. We are to isolation and uncertainty, all while mental health practicesstill seeing too many people on waiting lists for treatment. were forced to implement screening protocols to control theWe have people who need help but dont reach out because spread of COVID, sometimes limiting access to care.of the social stigma attached to mental health. So increasing access and removing stigmas is vital to our success. Leigh LoPresti, MDMiry Makebish, MD Meliea Miller, APRNIncreasing access to mental health careJaffrey Family Care & Rindge Family Practice Monadnock Regional Pediatrics Antrim Medical GroupThis philosophy of care also means providing 24-hour crisis and removing stigmas is vital to ourservices for people experiencing a mental health emergency. success.Michele Gunning, MD The 9-to-5 model doesnt work when someone has a crisis at 2:00 am, says Dr. Gunning. We have providers available COVID changed many things, says Dr. Michele Gunning,24/7, because the need for help happens at any time.psychiatrist and Medical Director of Behavioral Health at MCH, but our mission remained the same: to help people inHelping people work through painful challenges like mental and emotional distress find their way to a healthier,addiction, anxiety, and mental illness isnt just our mission more balanced life. Our challenge was how to do this duringits our calling, says Julie Davison, RN at Monadnock a time of social distancing. Behavioral Health. We are very grateful to have the support of our community as we continue to provide the One solution, she says, was teletherapy.exceptional care our patients deserve.Telehealth made a huge difference for our patients during*NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) COVID, and its a model well be using more often goingMental Health in New Hampshire, February 2021 Sarah Neal, APRN Kelly Pelletier, APRN, FNPKibwe Weaver, MD forward, says Dr. Gunning. Patients like the convenienceMonadnock Orthopaedic Associates Antrim Medical Group Monadnock Surgical Associates9| 2022 ANNUAL REPORT 10'