Your call cannot be completed as dialed
Don’t forget to dial 603 when you’re making a local call — after Oct. 24 it will be mandatory, and calls that are dialed without the area code won’t go through. The new requirement is in preparation for next July’s national rollout of the 988 National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline, which will replace the current number: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Starting next July, people will be able to dial 988 and reach the lifeline, but all 35 states that have 988 exchanges are required to switch to 10-digit dialing. In New Hampshire, 988 is an exchange in Portsmouth.
QOL Score: -1 (because QOL will definitely forget to update all of QOL’s contacts’ numbers before Sunday)
Comments: Of course, QOL does recognize that it’s an effort worth making if it means people can reach 988 services when they need it. Meanwhile, since all New Hampshire numbers still have a 603 area code, Hippo won’t be adding them to phone numbers in the paper. Consider it implied.
A baseball Marvel
Minor League Baseball has a new three-year partnership with Marvel Entertainment, creating an event series that will take place in Minor League ballparks — including Delta Dental Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats — starting in 2022. According to a press release, 96 Minor League teams will participate in the series, called “Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond” during the next three baseball seasons. All teams will host at least one Marvel Super Hero themed game each year, wearing special-edition Marvel-branded jerseys during the game with other Marvel-themed activities and promotions taking place throughout the game, the release said.
Score: +1
Comment: Marvel will also create a Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond comic book for fans that will be distributed in ballparks like Delta Dental Stadium, according to the release.
Holiday event cancellations starting already
Last week, the Nashua North vs. Nashua South Turkey Bowl was canceled “after thoughtful consideration,” according to a press release. There will be no Wednesday night or Thursday morning game this Thanksgiving. According to the release, the cancellation was made after the Nashua Holiday Stroll was canceled, and as Covid numbers have continued to rise in the Nashua community.
Score: -1
Comment: “Putting our students, staff, and their families in an atmosphere where many spectators may have traveled from other parts of the country to attend the game while visiting family in Nashua seems like a needless risk,” the release said. “We want everyone to remain safe and healthy during their holiday season and into the winter athletic season.”
Addressing the mental health crisis
The state is in the process of buying Hampstead Hospital, an effort to provide better mental health services in New Hampshire. NAMI New Hampshire praised the planned purchase in a press release, saying it was “a significant step forward in addressing the current mental health crisis, which has hit youth and young adults especially hard during the pandemic.” According to NAMI, New Hampshire youth and young adults are reporting significant increases in stress, anxiety and depression since the start of the pandemic, and the number of youth who need inpatient mental health services has more than tripled since then.
Score: 0 (-1 for the dire need, +1 for the efforts the state is taking to address that need)
Comment: On Oct. 13, there were 18 youth staying in emergency rooms around the state while they awaited inpatient admission, according to the release from NAMI. “The process of holding a young person in an emergency room, with minimal treatment, is traumatizing for youth and their families,” NAMI wrote.
QOL score: 78
Net change: -1
QOL this week: 77
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.