The New Hampshire Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would create a three-year pilot program to provide state park passes to recovery and community mental health centers.
Senate approves state park passes for recovery and community mental health centers
Under Senate Bill 387, sponsored by Dover Democrat Sen. David Watters, centers registered with the Department of Health and Human Services would be eligible for one or more passes.
New Hampshire has 93 state park properties that include parks, campgrounds, beaches, historical sites, and recreational trails. Season passes give individuals and families unlimited access to the majority of them, except for the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, Flume Gorge, Hampton Beach State Park South, and Wallis Sands State Park, as well as campsites and metered parking.
During SB 387’s public hearing in January, Holly Stevens, director of public policy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Hampshire, testified that research overwhelmingly demonstrates the positive impact of outdoor activities across many populations, including those with severe mental illnesses.
Stevens noted nature-based interventions, such as forest therapies, can significantly reduce depression and anxiety. She said there are 10 community mental health centers in the state that served more than 60,000 individuals in 2022.
On the Senate floor, Sen. Regina Birdsell, a Hampstead Republican, said the bill would have a fiscal impact of less than $10,000 per each fiscal year of the three-year pilot program, during which the participating centers would have to report annually on the usage and impact.
In a statement after the vote, Watters said: “Substance use disorders and mental health issues continue to have a significant impact on residents in every corner of our state. In order to address this crisis, we must take a multi-pronged approach with comprehensive strategies, and SB 387 is one piece of that.”
He continued: “Extensive research shows the benefits of being outdoors for those in recovery and those with mental health issues. With the 3-year pilot program established by SB 387, we will provide park passes to registered recovery and mental health centers, giving those in recovery the opportunity to access the evidence-based benefits of the outdoors.”