Category: Quality Of Life

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].

“Not today, milfoil!”

Many of New Hampshire’s most popular lakes have been kept safe from invasive species this summer thanks to the efforts of NH LAKES, a statewide, publicly supported nonprofit dedicated to restoring and preserving the health of the state’s lakes. According to a press release, nearly 700 “Lake Hosts” across the state offer free boat inspections and educate boaters on how to properly clean, drain and dry their boats to prevent aquatic invasive plants and animals — such as milfoil, fanwort and the Chinese mystery snail — from being spread between water bodies. Some of the saves made by Lake Hosts this summer include milfoil prevented from entering Crescent Lake in Acworth; brittle/spiny naiad prevented from entering Silver lake in Madison; Chinese mystery snail prevented from departing Lovell Lake in Wakefield; and water chestnut seed prevented from entering Lake Winnisquam in Belmont and Lake Kanasatka in Moultonborough.

QOL score: +1

Comment: There were 1,635 saves made by Lake Hosts at 55 water bodies recorded between 2002 and 2020, according to nhlakes.org/lake-host.

Gardening for good

NHTrust staff recently spent an afternoon volunteering at the NH Food Bank’s Production Garden in Manchester, weeding, clipping and raking to help ensure that the garden continues yielding fresh vegetables through the end of the summer for distribution to NH Food Bank partner agencies throughout the state. “Each year, the garden provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce to our partner agencies throughout the state as well as our Cooking Matters NH program and Culinary Job Training program, which provides approximately 5,000 meals a week to after-school programs and other agencies,” Eileen Liponis, executive director of the NH Food Bank, said in a press release. Additionally, NHTrust made a $500 contribution to the NH Food Bank to support its mission.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The NH Food Bank Production Garden is a seasonal volunteering opportunity open to groups and individuals. Visit nhfoodbank.org/get-involved/volunteer to learn how you can get involved.

Supporting women of color

The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation announced the first three grant recipients of its new Women and Girls of Color Fund, launched earlier this year. The recipients — all New Hampshire-based organizations that are led by and serve New Hampshire women and girls of color — are the Manchester Community Action Coalition, with the grant to support its Women’s BIPOC Health Initiative; New American Scholars, with the grant to support its Ed-Tech program; and Victory Women of Vision, with the grant to support its New American Women support group. According to the Women’s Foundation website, the purpose of the Fund is to “provide low-barrier, faster turnaround grants to projects led by and serving women and girls of color in New Hampshire.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to a press release, the fund will award grants quarterly, with applications for the next grants due Oct. 1. Visit nhwomensfoundation.org.

High student loan debt

A recent WalletHub study ranked New Hampshire at No. 4 out of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for States with the Most Student Debt. The study looked at the average amount of student debt; proportion of students with debt; student debt as share of income; share of student loans in past-due or default status and share of federal student loan borrowers enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan, as well as grant and student work opportunities. New Hampshire ranked No. 1 for average amount of student debt and No. 2 for proportion of students with debt.

QOL score: -2

Comment: According to the Education Data Initiative, 13.8 percent of the New Hampshire population has student loan debt, with a total of $6.5 billion in debt held by state residents and an average debt of $34,085 per borrower.

QOL score: 84

Net change: 1

QOL this week: 85

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

Excellence in hospice care

The Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Manchester and Southern New Hampshire has been recognized as a “Superior Performer” by Strategic Healthcare Programs. According to a press release, the annual award is given to hospice providers that have established a reputation of high-quality service and is determined by the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospice survey satisfaction score for more than 1,000 hospice providers. VNA of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire’s score ranked in the top 20 percent for 2021.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: Patients and caregivers shared comments such as ‘The Manchester VNA was outstanding in all regards in the care of my father,’ and ‘The nurses and staff of the VNA of Manchester were wonderful. They helped my mother pass on with dignity,’ the release noted.

Jamestown Canyon Virus in 2022

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the state’s first batch of mosquitoes to test positive for Jamestown Canyon Virus in 2022. According to a press release, the mosquitoes were collected in Atkinson on Aug. 2 and in Hampstead on Aug. 4. Jamestown Canyon Virus is one of three arboviruses transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes identified in the state. There have been 19 cases of infection in New Hampshire since the first case was reported in the state in 2013.

QOL score: -2

Comment: Most people infected with Jamestown Canyon Virus do not develop symptoms or develop mild symptoms, according to the release, though a small percentage of people infected experience severe symptoms which can lead to central nervous system diseases, such as meningitis or encephalitis. There are currently no vaccines to prevent the virus, and treatment consists of supportive care.

Extreme drought

While most of New Hampshire is in a state of moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that conditions escalated to “extreme drought” in areas of the Seacoast, Merrimack Valley and Monadnock regions, totaling 1.5 percent of the state. The last time an extreme drought was reported in New Hampshire was in 2020. Roughly 230,000 residents are currently living under some kind of community-mandated water restrictions, according to WMUR.

QOL Score: -3

Comment: The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services urges residents to conserve water, eliminating water use for watering lawns and washing cars and only watering outdoor plants in the early morning or in the evening to prevent additional water waste due to evaporation.

Groceries to Grads

Hannaford Supermarkets is launching a new tuition reimbursement program, Groceries to Grads, to provide Hannaford associates attending an accredited college or university up to $5,250 in tuition funds annually, with an additional 10 percent tuition discount offered for Hannaford associates and immediate family members taking online courses through Southern New Hampshire University. The funding can be applied to undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, according to a press release.

QOL Score: +1

Comment:Southern New Hampshire University is one of six colleges and universities in New England and New York — the only one in New Hampshire — partnering with Hannaford to offer exclusive tuition discounts as part of the program. “Through our new partnership with Hannaford, we are excited to provide affordable, flexible educational opportunities to help these staff members grow professionally and reach their career goals wherever they may be in their learning journey,” Jeremy Owens, associate vice president of university partnerships at Southern New Hampshire University, said in a press release.

QOL score: 87

Net change: -3

QOL this week: 84

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

Gas going down

The average price of gasoline in New Hampshire went down by 11.6 cents per gallon last week, averaging $4.11 per gallon as of Aug. 15, according to GasBuddy. The data is based on a survey of 875 gas stations across the state. Prices are 45.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and $1.12 higher than a year ago.

QOL Score: +1

Comment: The national average price of gasoline averaged $3.92 as of Aug. 15, according to the report — down 9.9 cents per gallon in the last week.

Students build airplanes

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry) will host a free open house on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m., when high school students and their families can learn about the museum’s student airplane-building program and see a fly-by of New Hampshire’s first student-built airplane in flight at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. According to a press release, the program, based at Manchester School of Technology, invites high school students to collaborate with volunteer mentors to build an airplane throughout the school year. It was launched in 2019, becoming the fourth of its kind in the U.S. and the first and only in the Northeast. The program is free and open to all high school-age students — including those in home schooling, private and non-traditional education settings — living in Manchester, Londonderry, Goffstown, Bedford and other area towns. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4820.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The first airplane in the program — a Van’s RV-12iS two-seat light sport aircraft — was recently completed, and construction on the program’s second airplane will commence at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

Health care heroes

Nominations are open for New Hampshire Healthcare Heroes. Now in its third year, New Hampshire Healthcare Heroes is an effort supported by the Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center to celebrate health care workers in the state. “Every health care organization requires a team approach to provide the proper and necessary care and we believe that those who may work under the radar but really are a superhero within their organization deserve recognition,” Roxie Severance, who has led the effort since its inception, said in a press release. “It takes a full community of professionals to make our health care system work, and we’re excited to honor that role and share their stories.” Nominees may include clinical and nonclinical providers, administrators, educators, facilities, custodial and kitchen staff and others who provide direct or indirect care to patients and families receiving health care. A board of volunteers will review the nominations and select one winner and two runners-up for each of the seven regions in the state. Each Hero will be honored in a pinning ceremony, hosted in partnership with their employer and streamed live on Facebook, and will receive a banner and customized swag bag.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Anyone can nominate a Healthcare Hero by submitting an online nomination form at nhhealthcareheroes.org. Nominations close on Friday, Sept. 16, at 11:59 p.m.

Give blood, win gas

The American Red Cross is calling for blood and platelet donations to prevent a seasonal blood shortage, according to a press release, and everyone who donates during the month of August will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice and will be automatically entered for a chance to win free gas for a year — a $6,000 value. Three winners will be drawn.

QOL score: +1

Comment: To book a donation appointment at a Red Cross blood donation site near you, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

QOL score: 83

Net change: +4

QOL this week: 87

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

Pedal to the metal

New Hampshire Teacher of the Year Sara Casassa received the trophy and bragging rights as the winner of the sixth annual New Hampshire LotteryEducational Cup Challenge at New England Dragway in Epping on July 30. According to a press release, the language arts teacher at Barnard School in South Hampton raced against Vermont’s Teacher of the Year Karen McCalla behind the wheel of a mini school bus on a quarter-mile drag strip. The event raises awareness for the more than $2.3 billion and counting that the New Hampshire Lottery has generated for New Hampshire education since its inception in 1964.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Casassa said in a statement that she was “a little nervous” and “relieved when it was done,” but that it was a fun and unforgettable experience. “Many of my students were there lined up along the fence holding signs and cheering me on,” she said. “It was fantastic.”

All business

Amy LaBelle, founder and co-owner of LaBelle Winery, teamed up with Girls Inc. of New Hampshire to lead a free one-day entrepreneurship workshop for girls ages 11 through 13 on July 30 at LaBelle Winery’s Amherst location. According to a press release, the workshop, titled “Empowering Angels: Empowerment through Entrepreneurship,” is designed to inspire young people to pursue entrepreneurship through training in basic business skills and strategies and by providing entrepreneur role models. Each girl developed her own business idea and plan, then pitched her idea to the group. “We were blown away by the pitches the girls put together in such a short time frame,” LaBelle said in the release. “They were terrific.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The girls also got to take a tour of the winery, which focused on the STEM aspects of winemaking.

Youth mental health pandemic

The annual Kids Count Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation on Aug. 8, which for the first time included data on mental health among youth ages 3 through 17 in all 50 states, revealed that there was a 26 percent increase in anxiety and depression through the first year of the Covid pandemic, creating what the U.S. surgeon general has called a “mental health pandemic.” According to a press release, that number was even higher among youth in New Hampshire, with mental challenges increasing by 27.8 percent from 2016 to 2020.

QOL score: -3

Comment: Another finding in the report was that nine percent of New Hampshire children are living in poverty, with 25 percent of households with children having high housing costs, and that 3 percent of New Hampshire children aren’t covered under a health insurance plan.

Whoa, baby

A recent WalletHub study ranked New Hampshire at No. 8 out of the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia for Best States to Have a Baby. The study looked at a number of criteria, including hospital delivery costs, access to prenatal care, postpartum depression rates, the number of fertility clinics, infant mortality rates, the rate of preterm births, child care centers per capita, parental leave policies and more.

QOL score: +1

Comment: New Hampshire had an especially strong showing in the criteria of hospital Cesarean delivery charges (2nd), hospital conventional delivery charges (2nd) and pediatricians and family doctors per capita (3rd).

QOL score: 83

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 83

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