Category: News

Strengthening minds

UNH opens Children’s Behavioral Health Resource Center

The University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability is developing a new Children’s Behavioral Health Resource Center, funded by the New Hampshire Executive Council, set to open this spring. UNH research associate professor JoAnne Malloy, who co-directs the center with UNH Institute on Disability director Kelly Nye-Lengerman, discussed the center’s mission and operations.

What is the Children’s Behavioral Health Research Center?

Our center will form around a lot of work we’ve already been doing with the state. … In 2019 the state legislature and the governor signed Senate Bill 14, which established funding for a Children’s Mental Health System of Care, which is a national model. It’s necessary because families who have a child with a mental health issue often find that the services are fragmented; they could have a mental health counselor and a school counselor and a DCYF worker. It’s really hard for parents, because they’re already dealing with a very stressful situation, and then they have all these services coming at them. The System of Care is designed to help families … find the services and support they need. …This center is part of that bigger work. Our job will be to help identify practices that have good research evidence … and are shown to be effective.

How did you get involved?

I started working here at the university in the mid ’90s. I’ve always specialized in working with adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges. … I started working with the state to build a System of Care … and develop a model to help that population [of youth] … and to help the people working in the field get good quality training and education and to give them the support they need.

What needs will the center address?

A lot of children and young people have been going to the emergency room in a mental health crisis. It’s been really exacerbated by the pandemic, with children not being able to go to school consistently and not being able to see their friends and trying to learn online. … The problems we’ll be addressing are for those children and youth who are really stressed and have a mental health concern. Perhaps they’re acting out in the community or attempting self-harm or suicide. Perhaps they’re going out into the community and breaking laws. They’re not going to school. They may have emotional disorders such as severe anxiety or depression. It’s a wide variety of issues [affecting] children and youth that we’re looking at.

What will some of the center’s main day-to-day operations be?

We have 10 community mental health centers across the state, so we’ll be training providers … and some of their staff in how to work with children who have significant trauma backgrounds and use cognitive behavioral therapy, which is an evidence-based practice. … We also do consultations. Once somebody goes to the training, they often need guidance … so we’ll be observing them in treatment sessions and providing them feedback to make sure that what they’re doing is good practice. … We also bring [mental health care] partners together and gather information about what they need. Some of our staff will be doing interviews and focus groups [to find out] where we need to fill in the gaps.

Is there anything else like this in the state?

There are currently no other centers in New Hampshire that focus on children’s mental health and evidence-based practices … but there are smaller groups, and this [center] is bringing everybody together. … There are centers like this in other states, and I’ve been looking at those and [their] models.

What are the center’s goals, short-term and long-term?

Short-term, we want to do three trainings by the end of June to train and provide consultation to 80 people. … Long-term — the contract [for the center] is for three years and potentially renewable — I’d like to see the center become a permanent fixture in the state, and something that changes with the needs of people in the field. Most of all, I want it to make an impact, because at the end of the day, if we’re not actually helping children and families, we might as well all pack up and go home.

Featured photo: JoAnne Malloy. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 22/01/27

Covid-19 update As of Jan 14 As of Jan 24
Total cases statewide 235,898 265,140
Total current infections statewide 21,291 15,641
Total deaths statewide 2,079 2,145
New cases 12,299 (Jan. 11 to Jan. 14) 29,242 (Jan. 15 to Jan. 24)
Current infections: Hillsborough County 7,055 4,843
Current infections: Merrimack County 2,234 1,842
Current infections: Rockingham County 4,372 2,885
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

Covid-19 news

During the state’s weekly public health update on Jan. 19, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that, on average, there were 3,100 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week, up from an average of 2,500 the week before. Just a day earlier, on Jan. 18, the number of overall cases of the virus in New Hampshire since the start of the pandemic officially surpassed a quarter of a million. According to Gov. Chris Sununu, the omicron variant is now by far the dominant Covid strain in the state, accounting for a high majority of new daily cases. “On the positive side, omicron … appears to have much less severe symptoms and it’s likely that there are many people out there who are asymptomatic or don’t even know that they have Covid,” Sununu said during the press conference. “[We want] to urge people … to really watch for symptoms. Be sure you’re taking them very seriously. … The booster is so critical and really makes all the difference in the world in terms of the severity of symptoms.”

New fixed vaccination sites with walk-in access opened in Stratham and Concord last week, with more on the way in Keene, Salem, Manchester and Nashua. “We’re trying to make sure we have good geographic access,” Sununu said. “In addition, we expect a teens fixed vaccination site to be online before the end of the month.” Go to covid19.nh.gov for the most up-to-date details.

Cancer concerns

Residents of Merrimack, Litchfield, Bedford and Londonderry are invited to attend a virtual public information meeting via Zoom on Thursday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m., which will provide updates and answer questions on the status of cancer in the community. According to a press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services, the meeting’s agenda will include background on the protocol for responding to community concerns about cancer, the history of the response in Merrimack, the most recent data analysis and a discussion of the next steps in the investigation, before moving on to a question and answer session. Contact the DHHS Cancer program at 271-4959 or visit dhhs.nh.gov for more details.

New political poll

A recent Saint Anselm College poll found that 74 percent of New Hampshire registered voters believe the country is on the wrong track, versus only 16 percent who believe it is headed in the right direction. According to a press release, the college’s survey center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics collected data from cell phone users on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12, each of whom were randomly drawn from a sample of registered voters. The poll also found that 62 percent of voters approve of the job Gov. Chris Sununu has done managing the Covid-19 pandemic, while only 40 percent approve of the job President Joe Biden has done. Full results can be viewed at anselm.edu/new-hampshire-institute-politics.

Energy and abortion bills

Last week, lawmakers addressed a couple of noteworthy bills in the House. According to a report from WMUR, the House voted unanimously to approve a bill to restore the state’s energy efficiency program, which proponents say would help homeowners save money, reduce costs for utilities, lower energy needs in the state and provide jobs to contractors, who would be needed to assess homes and help homeowners find more efficient energy options. The Public Utilities Commission gutted the program last year, according to the report, and energy efficiency contractors warned that a short-term effect will be hundreds of layoffs and difficulties for homeowners wanting to make energy- and money-saving improvements. An amended version of the bill has now cleared a Senate committee with full bipartisan support, the report said, and the hope is that the governor will have the bill on his desk by the end of February.

Another bill working its way through the House would amend the restrictive abortion laws put in place last year; the new bill would allow for exceptions to the 24-week abortion ban in cases of rape, incest or fatal fetal abnormality, according to WMUR. House Republicans overhauled the bill, replacing it with an amendment that would say ultrasounds are not mandatory before an abortion unless the fetus is within range of 24 weeks gestation, the report said

PFAS FAQ

The New Hampshire Insurance Department recently released a Frequently Asked Questions document with information on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) testing, according to a press release. PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used to manufacture household and commercial products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. For decades, they’ve been used in many consumer products, like nonstick cookware, stain-resistant furniture and carpets, microwave popcorn bags and other food packaging. According to the release, PFAS has impacted several areas of New Hampshire, including groundwater contamination at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, and water and soil contamination and air emissions from local industrial facilities. Some studies of PFAS exposure in humans suggest that it may cause various adverse health effects. “The need for Granite Staters to access testing for PFAS chemicals is incredibly important,” state Deputy Insurance Commissioner D.J. Bettencourt said in a statement. “[We are] pleased to make this informational document available to help citizens better understand the role that their insurance coverage plays in testing.” The Frequently Asked Questions document can be viewed online in full at nh.gov/insurance, by clicking on “health insurance” under the “for consumers” tab.

Essay contest

New Hampshire Leadership PAC is sponsoring its second annual First in the Nation essay contest, available for all high school seniors in the state to enter. According to a press release, essays between 500 and 800 words must be submitted by April 8 — participants are asked to best articulate the benefits of New Hampshire conducting the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Students can either mail their essays to Essay, PO Box 6052, Amherst, NH 03031 or email them in PDF format to [email protected]. Winners will be announced May 6. Cash scholarship prizes for the top three essay entries will be awarded during a presentation to be held in Concord on May 18. “The next generation of young leaders will be inheriting the first in the nation tradition, hopefully, and we want to inspire them to not only vote but to also be actively engaged in the process,” Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager said in a statement. For more details, visit chrisager.com/essay-contest.

The New Hampshire Food Bank in Concord was the recipient of $122,000 that was raised at the recent Distiller’s Showcase put on by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. According to a press release, the eighth annual showcase, which is the signature event of Distiller’s Week, was the most successful one yet.

The Manchester VA Medical Center opened its new $14.5 million, 16,000-square-foot Urgent Care Center last week. According to a press release, the new center offers veterans increased safety and infection prevention, in part by relocating urgent care services to allow direct access from the outside and adding an exam room designed for women veterans, and a psychiatric holding room.

Students from Milford High School were named “We the People: The Citizen and Constitution” state champions earlier this month. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Bar Association, students from Hollis-Brookline and John Stark Regional high schools also participated in the final round of the annual event, which gives students the chance to show their knowledge of Constitutional Law principles through simulated congressional hearings where they “testify” before judges acting as members of Congress.

This Week 22/01/20

Big Events January 20, 2022 and beyond

Thursday, Jan. 20

The Concord Garden Club and the League of NH Craftsmen come together for the annual Art & Bloom exhibit, which runs today through Saturday, Jan. 22. Hours are 1 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the exhibit gallery at the League’s headquarters (49 S. Main St. in Concord). In this short-lived exhibit, the League’s exhibit “Setting the Standard,” featuring pieces in a variety of media, serves as the inspiration for floral arrangements by Garden Club members and others. The regular hours of the “Setting the Standard” exhibit will start Tuesday, Jan. 25, and run through March 31, Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m.

Fight cabin fever with a visit to the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) today from 5 to 8 p.m. when admission is free as part of “Art After Work: Free Thursday Nights.” Old Tom and the Lookouts will be performing in the Winter Garden Cafe and the tours will focus on Robert S. Duncanson’s “Long Point on the Gauley River, Virginia” and the exhibit “As Precious as Gold: Carpets from the Islamic World.”

Thursday, Jan. 20

Kick the weekend off early with Jeff Mrozek, who performs tonight from 6 to 9 pm. at Stones Social (449 Amherst St. in Nashua, stonessocial.com).

Friday, Jan. 21

Catch the “most famous bagpipe band on the planet,” according to their website (rhcp.scot), when the Red Hot Chilli Pipers come to the Flying Monkey (39 Main St. in Plymouth; 536-2251, flyingmonkeynh.com) today at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 21

Hear the music of the Dave Matthews band tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com) when The Dave Matthews Tribute Band performs. Tickets cost $30.

Sunday, Jan. 23

Get some fresh eats today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salem Farmers Market, held inside at LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111 in Derry). See salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Sunday, Jan. 23

See the Bolshoi Ballet perform “Jewels” (in which the cities of Paris, New York and St. Petersburg are represented in three separate scenes) in presentation of the Bolshoi broadcast today at 12:55 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets to the broadcast cost $15 for adults, $12 for students (plus fees).

Save the date! For wine & chocolate

Sample four LaBelle Winery wines with four different chocolate desserts at a “Wine & Dessert Pairing Class” scheduled for each of the three LaBelle locations in February. The class will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. in Derry (14 Route 111); on Friday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. in Portsmouth (104 Congress St.) and on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. in Amherst (345 Route 1010). Admission costs $43.40.

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 22/01/20

Unemployment claims below pre-Covid numbers

Last week’s unemployment claims in New Hampshire were 22.9 percent lower than they were during the same week in 2019 — the sixth-biggest decrease in the U.S. — according to personal-finance website WalletHub’s updated report on States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Increasing the Most. They are 9.71 percent lower compared to the same week in 2020, and 83.86 percent lower than the same week in 2021.

Score: +1

Comment: According to the report, New Hampshire is one of only 14 states whose unemployment claims last week were lower than before the pandemic.

Life-changing donation for local veteran

Mike Moran, a local disabled veteran who served almost 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, will soon replace his manual wheelchair with an iBOT Personal Mobility Device, courtesy of a Veterans Count donor and assistance from Manchester-based Mobius Mobility, which manufactures the device. According to a press release, Moran has been using his wheelchair for 14 years; with the iBOT PMD, the 51-year-old will now be able to get up and down stairs and curbs, move through all kinds of terrain and experience life at standing height. Veterans Count and Mobius Mobility helped Moran get the prescription and other documentation he needed to qualify for the iBOT, and helped him schedule his training, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: “We are still taking requests for the remaining four iBOT donations, and we encourage veterans to inquire,” Kathy Flynn, senior director of development for Veterans Count, said in the release.

Camp for all kids

ReKINDling Curiosity is coming back for a second year to help ensure that all kids who want to get a chance to go to camp. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, the initiative is meant to provide a positive childhood experience at an approved overnight or day youth recreation camp in New Hampshire. The program, which is federally funded using Covid-19 response money, will pay up to $650 of youth recreation camp fees for qualifying students.

Score: +1

Comment: “For many children, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with disabilities, this opportunity to attend a summer camp could help alleviate anxiety and trauma resulting from the pandemic, and succeed in academic instruction when they return to school in the fall,” Frank Edelblut, commissioner of education, said in the release.

Beware of Covid smishing campaign

Scammers pretending to be from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles are texting residents trying to get personal identifying information. According to a consumer alert from Attorney General John M. Formella, the scam is called “smishing” — when scammers send text messages purporting to be from a reputable agency to get personal information — and this one is a Covid-19 themed campaign. The text messages contain links to a fraudulent “New Hampshire State Covid-19 Vaccine Status Validation” website, which features legitimate-looking seals of the Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Motor Vehicles. On the site, the consumer is asked to enter personal information like their Social Security number and date of birth, the release said.

Score: -1

Comment: Residents are advised not to reply to unsolicited text messages, not to click on a link in a text message from someone you don’t know, and not to provide money or personal information over the phone or by email to someone you don’t know.

QOL score: 52

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 54

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

All she wrote for the Pats

So much for the 2021 Patriots season. A mostly enjoyable year, at least until it ended in disaster on Sunday with Buffalo’s 47-17 demolition of the Bill Belichick AC. It was the culmination of a disappointing final month that saw Mac Jones staggering down the stretch as they lost four of their last five to take some of the shine off their seven-game mid-season winning streak that sent expectations a little higher than they probably should have been.

So with the Pats on vacation, here are a few thoughts that have been piling up since they were flying high.

From the Time Flies department comes news of Jon Lester retiring. For those of us on hand it’s hard to believe it was 17 years ago that summer night in town when he blew away 15 F-Cats. Then it was on to a 16-year big-league career that included a scary bout with cancer, a no-hitter, winning the World Series twice with Boston and a third with the Cubs. And while the overall record of 200 wins and 117 loses for a .636 life winning percentage is terrific, it’s probably gonna fall short of the Hall of Fame. But those stats speak to his consistency, as does the remarkable fact he had identical .639 winning percentages pitching for both the Red Sox and Cubs. Well done, young man.

Richard Seymour gets my vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for being the bedrock of the best team in the 2000’s that won with defense. In the end it should have five famers at least: Ty Law, who’s in already, no-brainers Tom Brady, Adam V, and Randy Moss along with Seymour. Outside chances go to Willie McGinest and the incredibly productive Wes Welker.

How can anyone not love watching the Chiefs line up inside their five-yard line when they do wild things from wild formations? On Sunday vs. Pittsburgh, there was after Travis Kelce took the snap in the wildcat faking hand-offs, then his own plunge before straightening up to fire a bullet to Byron Pringle for a TD, and then how about that underhand TD toss to Jerick McKinnon from Pat Mahomes that looked like he was bowling? So much fun.

If you missed it, UCLA extended Chip Kelly’s contract through 2026. So next time you see him, Chip’s buying!

And bravo to the U for naming Chipper’s former QB (when he OC at the U) Ricky Santos to succeed the retiring Sean McDonnell.

After Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy mentioned last week that Belichick had tied his nemesis Don Shula at 20 seasons with at least 10 wins, a reader emailed to say since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978 Coach B had an unfair advantage over Shula because there were only 14 games in his first 15 seasons. Logical, I suppose. But since the Patriots had a 16-win season, four with 14, two 13’s and five 12’s I figured he didn’t need the extra games to reach “just” 10, so I checked. And it was Shula who actually needed the 16 games to reach 10 wins five times (1978, ’79, ’82, ’92, ’94) while for Coach B it’s four times (’05, ’09, ’18 and this year).

I know the Celtics will lose Dennis Schroder in the off-season because of salary cap rules, so if they somehow can get a first-round pick for him at the trade deadline so be it. But since the last second-round pick to make an impact of consequence for them was Big Baby Davis in 2008, dumping Schroder for a second-round pick doesn’t make any sense unless they’re throwing in the towel and want to give kids more playing time even if they haven’t earned it.

While offensive lineman pushing the pile forward after a back is surrounded has become popular in recent years, it seems to me it’s illegal. Because what the OL’s are doing is pushing the defenders in the back and a block from behind is a clip — no?

With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown having already done it the other night vs. Indiana and Schoerder not far from scoring his 30th point, Celtics announcer Mike Gorman wondered if three teammates had ever scored 30 in the same game. Not having email to the table, I couldn’t let him know about the oddest, most forgotten case of three teammates doing that. It came on March 2, 1962, when guard Richie Guerin scored 39 points, future Celtic Willie Naulls had 33 and rookie Cleveland Buckner had 32 off the bench for the New York Knicks. And they still lost by 22 points, 169-147 to the Philadelphia Warriors because that was the day Wilt Chamberlain had his fabled 100-point game!

Liked Cooper Kupp’s anti-inflation answer when he was on the verge of breaking records for most catches and receiving yards that it won’t mean as much because he’d have done it in a 17-game season and the records broken came in 16 games.

Kid stuff

A look at child care accessibility in New Hampshire

Amy Brooks is the executive director of the Early Care and Education Association, a nonprofit organization that works to expand and improve pre-K child care in New Hampshire and Vermont. Brooks discussed some of the biggest child care issues affecting child care providers and families with young children in the state.

What are some child care challenges New Hampshire has faced, even before Covid?

The funding structure for child care obviously just doesn’t work. … When children aren’t successful in school, it’s rarely because they’re not smart; it’s because they struggle emotionally or socially. … About 80 percent of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 3, and 90 percent by the age of 5 … so investing in high-quality programming for children under 5, especially for children under 3 and for children living in poverty … [would result] in a lower need for special education … and help to stabilize the child’s life so that they’re ready, especially socially and emotionally, to go to public school. … The fact that people who work with these young children are paid very low, and rarely with benefits, just doesn’t reflect the value of what is required of them. With the funding structure we have right now, the only way to raise wages for child care providers sustainably is to raise tuition, which falls on the family’s back. We need to start looking at a different model.

How has Covid made it more difficult for New Hampshire families to access child care?

When a child at a public school has a symptom, the school nurse does a screening, which may include a [Covid] test, to decide whether the child stays at school or not. Child care centers don’t have an RN like public schools do. When they’re dealing with a 2-year-old who is teething, [child care centers] have to make that judgment call: Are they just teething, or could they have Covid? They aren’t doctors or nurses — they don’t know — so most of them just turn the child home. … So the biggest issue is really keeping the kids in care.

Has this led to any child safety concerns?

One of the ramifications [of limited access to child care] for families is that they’re having to go into unregulated situations. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was encouraged by DHHS and the governor to create neighborhood ‘pods’ where [families] would take care of each other’s kids during remote learning. Well, now, some of those people … [who also] have a 3- or a 4- or a 5- year-old are keeping those pods [for child care] because they’re so desperate. [The families hosting the pods] are not becoming licensed … and some of them are charging sometimes as much as what a child care center is charging.

What ripple effect does child care have on the state as a whole?

The entire pipeline of every [business’] staff has been disrupted. Just look at how many people are home after losing their jobs or not being able to go back to work because they have kids and can’t find child care. That includes people in high-need positions. … Health care centers are having to cancel clinics and cancel regular appointments because they’re lacking staff because their staff can’t get child care. … I know of a grandmother who [worked in] a senior position who left her job to take care of her grandchildren because she was the only one financially stable enough [in the family] to leave her job, and now, her [former] employer is struggling because a senior position is difficult to fill. These are key people being pulled out of the workforce, all because they don’t have child care.

What can New Hampshire families do to help improve the child care situation in the state?

[Share] their story … about the impact of the loss of child care on their family, whatever that may be. … Right now, it’s important that we keep giving [the issue of child care] adequate attention so that we can really move things forward on a state level.

Featured photo: Rick Rossi. Courtesy photo.

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