Category: News

Support for kids

The One Trusted Adult program will be offered throughout New Hampshire through a contracted partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Education approved by Gov. Sununu and the Executive Council. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, the program, which works to ensure that children have an accessible, trusted adult to provide support outside of the home, will be implemented at 125 New Hampshire schools over the next two years, serving students in grades 5 through 12. “When a student can name a trusted adult at school, we create our best chance for preventing bullying, mental health issues and substance abuse, all while promoting positive self-worth, engagement in community and availability for learning,” Brooklyn Raney, founder of One Trusted Adult, said in the release. The $794,555 contract will include online, on-demand professional development training for both educators and families.

Continued support

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has announced the launch of a new community-oriented program that will provide intensive transitional support for people being discharged from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization at no additional cost. According to a press release, the program, called Critical Time Intervention, is part of the state’s Ten-Year Mental Health Plan and is designed to help reduce the number of psychiatric hospital readmissions. In the nine months following a person’s discharge, CTI coaches will work directly with the person and their community to ensure they have stable and sustainable living arrangements and employment and access to mental health resources and support. “Providing concrete, one-on-one support for people as they transition from hospital to home offers them a sense of stability and independence, and could potentially prevent a readmission to the inpatient setting,” DHHS Commissioner Lori Shibinette said in the release.

Bills signed

Last week, Gov. Chris Sununu signed 14 bills into law, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Bills included HB 1280, a law that prohibits a parent’s decision regarding vaccinating their child to be considered as evidence in any parental rights proceedings; and SB 270, a law under which New Hampshire’s Department of Energy will work with the state’s utility companies to enroll low- to moderate-income families in a community solar energy program, the release said. “Inflation and rising energy prices hit our low-income families hardest, and this bill will help ensure that these New Hampshire families and communities can share in the benefits of clean energy,” Gov. Sununu said in a statement. Families enrolled in the program will receive a credit on their electricity bill. Gov. Sununu also signed HB91, a law that allows the families of first responders who die by suicide to receive line-of-duty death benefits.

Reimbursement for testing

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will award a FEMA Public Assistance grant in the amount of $4,080,860 to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse the state for the cost of providing Covid testing. As part of a contract with Clear ChoiceMD, New Hampshire provided 22,988 Covid tests at four Clear ChoiceMD walk-in urgent care locations in Nashua, Claremont, Manchester and Newington between October and December 2021. To date, FEMA has awarded New Hampshire more than $137 million in Public Assistance grants for pandemic-related expenses.

Testing RELIEF

A research team at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon will receive $6.6 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study nonsurgical treatment options for urinary urgency incontinence. According to a press release, the study, called “Reduced-dose onabotulinumtoxinA for urgency Incontinence among Elder Females (RELIEF): A mixed methods randomized controlled trial,” will explore the treatment onabotulinumtoxinA, better known by the brand name Botox, which has shown some potential to be an effective treatment for urinary incontinence, particularly for older women, for whom there are few suitable urinary incontinence treatments available

The Loon Preservation Committee hosts its annual Loon Festival at The Loon Center in Moultonborough (183 Lees Mill Road) on Saturday, July 16. Now in its 43rd year, the festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature all kinds of loon-related fun, as well as wildlife displays and presentations, food, games, balloons, face painting and a dunk tank. See loon.org/event/annual-loon-festival.

Nearly two dozen items were stolen from the historic house in Franklin where statesman Daniel Webster was born in 1782. According to the Associated Press, the theft of items, most of which were replicas, is believed to have occurred sometime between July 3 and July 8.

The 2022 Loon Census will also take place on Saturday, July 16, from 8 to 9 a.m., inviting people to observe loons at lakes throughout the state to help the Loon Preservation Committee collect data about New Hampshire’s loons. To learn how you can participate in the census, visit loon.org/census.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig met with members of Moms Demand Action in Manchester on July 8 to discuss gun violence prevention efforts in New Hampshire, according to a press release from Sen. Shaheen’s office.

Bill signings

Gov. Chris Sununu signed 39 bills into law on July 1, including SB 422, which establishes an adult dental benefit under the state Medicaid program, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Other bills include an act about health care visitation policies (HB 1439), an act related to special education services for kids in chartered public schools (SB 238), an act establishing an office of the advocate for special education (SB 381) and a bill that seeks to protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation (SB 385), the release said.

Rising fentanyl dangers

Gov. Chris Sununu, State Police Colonel Nathan Noyes, American Medical Response Regional Director Chris Stawasz, Concord Hospital President and CEO Bob Steigmeyer, and Concord Hospital Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Nicholas Larochelle held a press conference at Concord Hospital on June 30 to raise awareness about the rising dangers of fentanyl being added to other substances, according to WMUR. While fentanyl has been known to be routinely mixed with heroin, Gov. Sununu and law enforcement and health officials warned that there has been a recent trend of fentanyl being mixed with non-opioid drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs and being put into vape cartridges. “We’re seeing a whole new mix and integration of these very dangerous and deadly drugs being mixed in with more recreational activities, whether it’s vaping, whether it’s marijuana,” Sununu said according to the WMUR.

New prescription opioid strike force

The Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced in a press release the formation of the New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force, a joint effort between law enforcement, the Health Care Fraud Unit in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for three federal districts and law enforcement partners in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI. The new force will focus on combating unlawful prescribing by identifying and investigating health care fraud schemes and drug diversion offenses by physicians, pharmacists and other medical professionals in the New England region and prosecuting those and other individuals involved in the illegal distribution of prescription opioids and other prescription controlled substances. “The formation of NEPO presents a tremendous opportunity for our three Northern New England states to disrupt the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids,”U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young for the District of New Hampshire said in the release.

First probable case of monkeypox

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced in a press release that it has identified what it believes to be the first probable case of monkeypox in the state. The New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories conducted the initial testing of the patient, who is a resident of Rockingham County. DHHS is currently conducting an investigation to determine if any other individuals were exposed and infected. “While this is a concerning development, the risk to the general public is very low,” Dr. Jonathan Ballard, DHHS Chief Medical Officer, said in the release. Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus that is categorized in the same group as the smallpox virus. Symptoms may include fever, headache, exhaustion, muscle aches, sore throat, cough, swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash and may last for two to four weeks. Transmission typically requires close interaction or physical contact. Anyone experiencing symptoms, particularly a new skin rash or skin lesions, should consult their health care provider.

Blue-green algae dangers

Potentially toxic cyanobacteria has been blooming more frequently in New Hampshire, according to a press release from the Lake Winnipesaukee Association. Often referred to as blue-green algae, the waterbody organisms are needed for the health and growth of many native plants, but can produce toxins that are dangerous to humans and animals, particularly affecting the nervous, liver and endocrine systems, if ingested in large quantities. The Lake Winnipesaukee Association, joined by the Moultonborough Conservation Commission and UNH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, will hold an informational session on Tuesday, July 12, at 3 p.m. at the Moultonborough Public Library. Anyone who sees an algae bloom or water quality issue is asked to report it to the Lake Winnipesaukee Association at 581-6632 or [email protected].

Rock blasting operations will begin on the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Bedford, on the northbound barrel just south of the I-293 interchange, on Thursday, July 7, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced. According to a press release, what that means for drivers is rolling road blocks intermittently on weekdays between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the next several months.

The 2022 summer concert series at Stark Park in Manchester (650 River Road) kicks off with a performance by Love Dogs on Sunday, July 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Boston-based seven-piece band plays music with elements of jump blues, New Orleans R&B and early rock ’n’ roll. See starkpark.com/events for the full schedule.

AARP New Hampshire has announced the recipients of four 2022 Community Challenge grants, one of which is Hillsborough Community Center, which will use the funds to create a new welcoming and relaxing space with a small garden for older adults. The grants are awarded for quick-action projects with long-term impacts that improve quality of life in New Hampshire communities, particularly for adults over the age of 50.