By RICK GREEN, THE LACONIA DAILY SUN

Feb 6, 2019 Updated Feb 6, 2019

LACONIA — For two years, Maggie Pritchard has been trying without success to find a psychiatrist to lead the mental health unit at Franklin Regional Hospital.

The difficult recruitment effort is a symptom of a larger problem.

There is a lack of psychiatric professionals in New Hampshire, and that translates into longer waiting times for patients seeking mental health services, said Pritchard, executive director of Lakes Region Mental Health Center, which has providers serving the Franklin facility and Lakes Region General Hospital.

Read More at our Partner Laconia Daily Sun and check back soon for The Granite State Collaborative’s special look at the workforce shortage in New Hampshire and potential solutions to the problem.