Governor Hassan is tapping former New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Joseph Nadeau to lead a review into mental health services in Manchester following two high-profile incidents.
In July, a 34-year old patient allegedly attacked two staff members at Elliot Hospital while awaiting transfer to the state psychiatric hospital in Concord.
And then last month, a man seeking mental health treatment was in an altercation with security guards at the facility. He was arrested and taken to the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, but later returned to the hospital with a broken neck, and remains paralyzed from the neck down.
The review team will also take a broader look at the state’s mental health system, including how psychiatric emergencies are triaged, appropriate training levels for hospital staff, and assignment of state hospital beds.
In a statement, Hassan calls the strained mental health system one of the state’s "most pressing public health challenges."