Category: Quality Of Life

Phone scam

The Manchester Police Department is warning the public of a scam in which a person is calling citizens claiming to be a Manchester police officer and trying to solicit money. According to the notice, the caller leaves messages telling the recipient that they have warrants with the police and will face legal consequences if they do not pay a cash bail.

QOL Score: -2

Comment: Anyone who has received this call or another call that they suspect is a scam should contact the Manchester Police Department at 668-8711.

Trail for everybody

New Hampshire Audubon celebrates the opening of its new All Persons Trail at its McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord) on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m. According to a press release, the trail, which features a compacted gravel surface to accommodate people using assisted mobility devices, was designed to increase universally accessible trail opportunities in the state and to increase awareness of the need for native plant and wildflower meadows in the state to support pollinators. “We are pleased to announce that, after many years of planning and learning from the communities we intend to serve, we have built Concord’s first All Persons Trail,” conservation director Marc Nutter said in a press release. “This effort … has opened up new wildlife viewing opportunities for all people.”

QOL Score: +1

Comment: The NH Audubon reached out to the NH Council on Developmental Disabilities to recruit some test riders, whose feedback helped them make the final adjustments to the trail, according to the release.

Was really enjoying the $3.30s

Gas prices in New Hampshire are back on the rise for the first time since early June. According to a GasBuddy price report, the average gasoline prices in New Hampshire increased by 9.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.47 per gallon as of Oct. 10. The data is based on a survey of 875 gas stations across the state. Prices are still 23.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, but 35.9 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

QOL Score: -1

Comment: The national average price of gasoline averaged $3.92, according to the report — up 22.5 cents per gallon from a month ago.

QOL score: 85

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 83

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

Making real estate fun

Local real estate agent Tommy Bolduc and his clients looking to sell their home on Guys Lane in Weare decided to have some fun with the home listing pictures. WMUR reported that the pictures feature a man dressed as Michael Myers, the iconic masked villain from the Halloween movie franchise, in various poses — some sinister, some silly — within the rooms and in the yard.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: Bolduc told WMUR that he and the sellers are big horror fans and thought the pictures would be festive and fun with Halloween around the corner, adding that homebuyers have nothing to fear — the house is not haunted.

Everybody wins!

Firefighters and police officers from across the Granite State renewed their friendly rivalry for a good cause during the 11th annual Battle of the Badges Baseball Classic on Sept. 23 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. The game drew more than 1,000 spectators and 57 participants, including players and coaches, and raised $124,000 and counting, according to a press release, to support the programs at Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Team Police took home the trophy with an 8-7 win over Team Fire, and was the highest fundraising team with a total of $64,561 raised over Team Fire’s $46,854. Team Police has an 8-3 winning record over Team Fire in the history of the fundraising game and has raised more than $466,000 since 2011.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: Since its inception, the CHaD Battle of the Badges Baseball Classic has raised more than $965,000 for the cause.

Honored

Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gillis honored 100-year-old Josephine Sad, a former student of Manchester’s Central High School, with an equivalent high school diploma on Sept. 27. According to a press release, the diploma was given as a gesture of gratitude to Sad for her service to our country; she left high school to care for her younger brother while their parents worked during the Great Depression, and she served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: Sad’s longtime close friend Terry Seavey shared Sad’s story with Mayor Craig and helped to arrange the surprise award ceremony, with Sad’s son, Alan Sad, also in attendance.

QOL score: 82

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 85

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

Help for NH’s homeless

The Executive Council and the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee have approved $5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act funds to be given as a one-time grant to support homeless shelters across New Hampshire this coming winter, including short-term cold weather shelters. According to NHPR, homeless shelters in the state are facing increased operation costs due to the pandemic and are anticipating an increased demand as temperatures start to drop, and temporary cold weather shelters did not receive state funding at all until now. The 19 shelters that have a current contract with the state will receive $4 million from the grant, and $1 million will be distributed to New Hampshire counties, municipalities and nonprofit organizations and coalitions to support cold weather shelters.

QOL score: +1 for the increased help

Comment: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette wrote that preliminary data for 2022 revealed that 1,605 people are experiencing homelessness in New Hamsphire – an increase of 7.6 percent from 2021, NHPR reported.

More broadband

The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs announced in a press release that a Request for Proposals will be issued on Friday, Sept. 30, for the launch of a second round of funding of up to $40 million under the New Hampshire Broadband Contract Program. In June, New Hampshire became the first state in the country to receive approval for a broadband expansion plan utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. The program seeks to improve access to reliable broadband in unserved and underserved parts of the state by selecting local internet service providers for the expanded areas, working with broadband networks that are owned, operated by or affiliated with local governments, nonprofits and cooperatives as much as possible. “We are full steam ahead and expect to see the buildout of more than 30,000 unserved and underserved locations, with more than 20,000 served in round 1 and another 15,000 anticipated for round 2,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in the release.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The initiative started with $13 million in short-term CARES Act Funds allocated to broadband expansion in 2020, which benefited more than 4,500 households throughout the state.

Staffing shortages

Forty-eight of the 184 beds at New Hampshire Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Concord, have been closed due to staffing shortages, NHPR reported. The closures came during a week when nearly 30 adults were waiting in emergency rooms across the state to receive inpatient psychiatric care. A 15 percent wage increase for some department staff, including nurses, was approved at a recent executive council meeting but has not been enough to compete with the large sign-on bonuses offered by other hospitals.

QOL score: -2

Comment:The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services received initiial approval from the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee to provide $15 million in funding to SolutionHealth to construct a new behavioral health hospital in the state with 100 beds, but the proposal has not yet come before the Executive Council, NHPR reported.

QOL score: 82

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 82

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

Celebrating recovery

Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, a Manchester-based nonprofit that connects people in recovery with people struggling with addiction, presents its Recovery Festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Veterans Park in downtown Manchester. According to a press release, the event will feature more than 40 representatives from local recovery residences, treatment and recovery centers, health agencies and other pathways to recovery; as well as music, free candy, free home Covid tests courtesy of the Manchester Health Department and free Naloxone courtesy of Manchester Doorway. Visit recoverynh.org/recoveryfestival.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Hope Recovery Center, on Wilson Street in Manchester, hosts more than 40 recovery meetings a week and presents musical talent shows and more than 600 member-made paintings on the walls “to help demonstrate that recovery is more than just going to meetings — it’s a brand new and better life,” the press release stated.

Vaxxed up

A recent WalletHub study ranked New Hampshire at No. 3 out of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for the Most Vaccinated States. The study looked at various factors, such as the influenza vaccination rate of youth; the share of teenagers with up-to-date HPV vaccinations; the share of senior adults who have received a Zoster vaccination and more. New Hampshire ranked especially high for flu vaccination coverage rate among adults (No. 3) and share of adults with tetanus vaccination (No. 3).

QOL score: +1

Comment: New England swept the top six, with Massachusetts at No. 1, followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut at No. 6.

Return of the flu

New Hampshire health officials are warning that the upcoming flu season could be the worst in several years, NHPR reported. Influenza cases dropped significantly in the 2020-2021 season as a byproduct of Covid mitigation measures. The number of cases increased in the 2021-2022 season, but were still significantly lower than a typical season pre-Covid. This fall and winter, however, influenza cases are expected to fully rebound. The CDC recommends that people get a flu shot by the end of October to reduce their risk of becoming infected with or becoming seriously ill from the flu, which typically peaks around February.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Covid booster vaccinations updated to protect against the omicron variant recently became available in New Hampshire, and it’s safe to get the Covid booster and the flu vaccine at the same time, according to the CDC.

Overdoses on the rise

The total number of suspected opioid overdoses so far this year in New Hampshire’s two largest cities, Manchester and Nashua, is 624, which is 19 percent higher than the total was for 2021 at this time of year, the Union Leader reported. The cities are currently averaging between 80 and 90 drug overdoses a month, putting Nashua on track to have the highest number of opioid overdose-suspected deaths in a one-year period since 2015, and Manchester on track to have the highest since 2017.

QOL score: -2

Comment: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently warned the public of an emerging trend of fentanyl produced in the form of brightly colored pills, powders and blocks, made to look like candy to appeal to children and young people, the article said.

QOL score: 83

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 82

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

Health care labor shortages

Health care workforce shortages in New Hampshire have resulted in an increased reliance on contract labor, according to a recent report released by the New Hampshire Hospital Association, which has driven expenses up and operating margins down at hospitals and health care facilities throughout the state. New Hampshire hospitals experienced a 133.1 percent increase in contract labor costs from 2021 to 2022 and are projected to spend $302.7 million on contract labor in 2022, up from $118.5 in 2019, pre-pandemic.

QOL score: -2

Comment: The New Hampshire Hospital Association is working to address the problem by calling on stakeholders to support workforce development initiatives that ensure sustainable recruitment and retention of health care workers, and is calling for state and federal resources to support hospitals at this time of high demand for hospital services.

Getting food to people who need it

Citizens Financial Group has contributed $56,000 to the New Hampshire Food Bank — funding that will support two new refrigerated food distribution trucks, ensuring reliable daily transportation to provide food to people throughout New Hampshire who are experiencing food insecurity. Approximately 7 percent of New Hampshire’s residents — and 9.5 percent of New Hampshire children — are in need of food assistance, according to a press release. There will be an unveiling of one of the new trucks on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m., at the NH Food Bank headquarters (700 E. Industrial Park Drive, Manchester).

QOL score: +1

Comment: Citizens Financial Group is also hosting a virtual food drive throughout September to support Feeding America, which provides at least 10 meals through community food banks for every $1 donated. It has agreed to match each dollar donated up to $20,000, according to the release. Visit teamfeed.feedingamerica.org to learn how you can help.

Bike and park

Bike to the Manchester Citywide Arts Festival street fair (at the Opera Block of Hanover Street this Saturday, Sept. 17, and Sunday, Sept. 18) and the Queen City Bike Collective will provide free valet bike parking (from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday), according to a press release from the Manchester mayor’s office. Also happening downtown Saturday is the CelebratED MHT event in Veterans Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. celebrating Manchester’s schools and offering food and entertainment. Attendees of either event — or just anyone who wants to ride their bike downtown this weekend— can leave their ride with the Queen City Bike Collective in City Hall Plaza.

QOL score: +1

Comments: Manchester’s mayor’s office, Queen City Bike Collective and Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission are also hosting a Park(ing) Day event on Friday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Bookery (844 Elm St. in downton Manchester) in the outdoor dining area, the press release said.

More art returns

The New Hampshire Furniture Masters return after a two-year hiatus with their Signature Fundraising Gala, known as the Main Event, on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St. in Concord). According to a press release, the event will feature an open house during the day, as well as a reception will be held in the evening with a silent auction, live entertainment, artisanal fare and craft beer. Tickets cost $20; admission is free for individuals age 21 and under. Visit furnituremasters.org/the-main-event.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Annual Exhibition, on display at Kimball Jenkins now through Oct. 25, is the result of a three-month artistic partnership between 14 Furniture Masters and 28 selected artists and faculty from Kimball Jenkins and features fine furniture, paintings, photography and poems.

QOL score: 82

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 83

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

Elevated West Nile risk

The local risk level for West Nile virus has been raised to “moderate” in Manchester after the Manchester Health Department collected two batches of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15 and Aug. 22 — the second and third to be collected in the city this summer, according to a press release. The first batch was collected on July 20. If additional batches are detected, the risk level may be elevated to “high risk,” which may warrant public health intervention such as spraying for adult mosquitoes, in accordance with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Arboviral Illness, Surveillance, Prevention and Response Plan.

QOL score: -2

Comment: Manchester Public Health director Anna Thomas encourages residents of Manchester and neighboring communities to practice personal protective measures, such as eliminating standing water on their property and using mosquito repellents.

Watch for wildfires

With 92 percent of New Hampshire being in some state of “abnormally dry conditions” — 49 percent in “moderate drought,” 24 percent in “severe drought” and 2.75 percent in “extreme drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor — the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau warns that the risk for wildfires is high. According to a press release, 90 percent of wildfires in New Hampshire are human-caused, often originating from campfires, brush fires and other planned fires as well as from vehicle engines and lawn care equipment, which can overheat or cause sparks, burning dry fuels on contact and starting a fire. New Hampshire experiences an average of 250 wildfires a year, with an average of 250 acres impacted by wildfires.

QOL score: -2

Comment: Chief Steven Sherman of the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau said people who have a campfire or any other kind of planned fire should ensure that the fire is put out properly using the “dead out” method, which entails drowning out the fire with water, stirring the embers and using a bare hand to check that the remains of the fire are cool to the touch. “Even a little bit of warmth means that heat is still present, and that can grow and cause a wildfire even hours after everyone’s gone home,” he said.

Meals for kids

Nearly 100 volunteers with the United Way of Greater Nashua worked with the Nashua School District from July 5 to Aug. 5 to distribute more than 4,600 breakfasts and lunches per week to children whose families experience food insecurity. The meals, provided by the school cafeterias, were distributed on at least one weekday per week outside of Amherst Street, Dr. Crisp, Fairgrounds, Ledge Street and Mount Pleasant elementary schools.

QOL score: +1

Comment: United Way of Greater Nashua has all kinds of one-time and ongoing volunteering opportunities. Visit unitedwaynashua.org/volunteer or contact Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement Sara Ceaser at [email protected] or 864-0201 to find out how you can get involved.

QOL score: 85

Net change: -3

QOL this week: 82

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