Category: Quality Of Life

Mental health matters

The Granite State was well represented during the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s virtual convention last month. According to a press release, New Hampshire’s Kid Governor Charlie Olsen presented the keynote address, sharing his experience with depression and reminding viewers they’re not alone. Meanwhile, NAMI New Hampshire Executive Director Ken Norton received the Richard and Betsy Greer Advocacy Award for his efforts to advance policy and advocacy that impacts people living with mental illness and their families. And Dr. Isabel Norian, who recently completed her term on NAMI New Hampshire’s Board of Directors, was named a NAMI 2021 Exemplary Psychiatrist, one of only six psychiatrists nationally to receive the honor, according to the release.

Score: +1

Comment: Kudos especially to Charlie Olsen for being brave enough to tell his story and help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

Earn while getting EMT certified

As part of an effort to address the national EMT shortage, American Medical Response has partnered with four New Hampshire EMS schools to offer its Earn While You Learn program. According to a press release, participants are hired as employees and compensated while attending AMR’s EMT-Basic certification course, the release said. Upon successful completion of the program and obtaining their state certification, participants are promoted to EMT-B, with a commensurate pay increase. New England EMS Institute in Manchester, NH CPR in Bedford, NH Fire Med in Nashua and Great Brook Academy in Concord will be offering the classes. The 10- to 12-week program starts in September and is for candidates 18 years of age or older who have a high school diploma or GED and all required immunizations, and pass background checks and a drug screening. Visit amr.net/careers.

Score: +1

Comment: This is the first Earn While You Learn program in New Hampshire, the release said.

Gambling for good

After 10 days of charitable gambling at Manchester’s Filotimo Casino, the Community Caregivers of Greater Derry received a check in the amount of $58,696.70 to help the nonprofit with its mission of serving the elderly and disabled. According to a press release, the funds will be used to increase staff and programming. “The funds from charitable gaming are critical for nonprofits in New Hampshire, especially with all of the uncertainty surrounding Covid,” Cindee Tanuma, Executive Director of the Community Caregivers of Greater Derry, said in the release. “We still don’t know when people will want to attend fundraising events again.”

Score: +1

Comment: Raising tens of thousands of dollars without having to organize a major fundraising event is a huge boost for local nonprofits.

QOL score: 86
Net change: +3
QOL this week: 89

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

New Hampshire’s gambit

Chess is a thing with kids now, thanks to The Queen’s Gambit, which is why The New Hampshire Department of Education is establishing a statewide initiative to bring chess to schools. “The game of chess has become incredibly popular with students as a result of the hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit,” Frank Edelblut, commissioner of education, said in a press release. “The research is clear that when we engage students with their areas of interest, the learning is deeper and richer.” The department is partnering with Chess in Schools and is calling the program Granite Gambit. It’s being funded with federal Title funds and will support training for teacher-driven chess initiatives that connect chess with core academic content, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment:According to the release, a gambit is defined as a device or action used as a calculated risk to gain an advantage. “Granite Gambit will give both our educators and students an advantage,” Edelblut said.

Bike safety celebration

Families can bring their bikes to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 13, to ride a few laps around the Nascar track as part of the annual Dale Jr. Foundation Safe Kids 301. The entirely free event is all about bike safety, with helmet checks, bike safety inspections and free helmets for kids who don’t have one. There will also be a touch-a-truck ambulance and a teddy bear clinic, plus snacks and water. All adults and children can access the track on their bikes from 4 to 7:30 p.m.

Score: +1

Comment: A family-friendly outdoor activity, and it’s free? What’s not to like?

All-natural podcast

Take wildlife adventures throughout the state via the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s podcast, On the Nature Trail. Lindsay Webb, a wildlife educator from Fish and Game, is hiking, biking and kayaking to bring listeners on a series of five-minute journeys in search of wildlife. So far she’s seen garter snakes, water scorpions, a saw-whet owl, bald eagles, horseshoe crabs and a bullfrog.

Score: +1

Comment: On the Nature Trail episodes are available on iHeart Radio, Spotify, CastBox and Apple Podcasts, or at nhfishgame.com/podcast.

Happy, healthy babies

New Hampshire is the fourth best state to have a baby, according to a new study from personal-finance website WalletHub, which compared data for cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. New Hampshire ranked 2nd in four areas, with low rates for Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges, Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges, Infant Mortality Rate and Rate of Low Birth-Weight. It ranked 4th for Pediatricians & Family Medicine Physicians per Capita and, as of Aug. 9, 9th for Positive Covid-19 Testing Rate in the Past Week.

Score: +1

Comment: All six New England states made the Top 15, with Massachusetts ranking No. 1 and Vermont coming in right after New Hampshire at No. 5.

QOL score: 82
Net change: +4
QOL this week: 86

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

Rain, rain, go away

July 2021 has set the record as the rainiest July documented in southern New Hampshire. According to the Union Leader, Concord had received 10.69 inches of rain as of July 23, surpassing the record set in 1915 with 10.29 inches. The rain has been particularly hard on Seacoast businesses that rely on good summer weather, Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce president John Nyhan said in the article, and on Seacoast vacationers and tourists who spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on their stay, only to be stuck inside.

Score: -1

Comment: Concord has been keeping an official rainfall record since 1868, making this year’s July rainfall the most the city has seen in at least 153 years.

Scootering around

Electric scooters are coming to Manchester and will be available through an app, where riders can pay to use the scooter by the minute. According to a press release, Manchester is partnering with L.A.-based Bird Rides to bring in the e-scooters at no cost to the city. “We heard from a lot of businesses who were looking for micromobility options for their employees to easily travel from the Millyard to downtown,” Mayor Joyce Craig said in the release. The scooters can be used on roads and in bike lanes and have a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour. Riders must be at least 18 and are required to obey standard rules of the road, and they are encouraged to wear a helmet.

Score: +1

Comment: “As a company with 70+ employees moving from Elm Street to the Millyard later this year, we know it’s important to keep professionals coming to work in this city and visiting our shops and cafes,” Mike Collins, CEO and founder of Alumni Adventures, said in the release. “We’ve already had a few employees buy a bike helmet this week to keep at the office for quick trips around town.”

Where’s my package?

New Hampshire residents rank among the highest in the country when it comes to searching online for mail delivery delays, according to a recent survey released by 4over, a California-based company specializing in direct mail and printing services. According to the company’s findings, 4over surveyed more than 2,000 consumers and more than 200 Google search terms related to the phrase “delivery delays” in every state. In New Hampshire, we placed 5th overall in the United States, behind two of our neighbors (Rhode Island at No. 3 and Vermont at No. 1). Elsewhere in New England, Maine came in at No. 8, Connecticut at No. 12 and Massachusetts at No. 15.

Score: -1

Comment:The survey also found that 73 percent of people feel a sense of anxiety when their package is delayed, yet 65 percent of them feel that delivery tracking can be addicting.

Tennis for the greater good

Three New Hampshire high school students are using their love of tennis to help underprivileged youth, according to WMUR. They’ve organized a new fundraiser, Rally for Tennis, to benefit Advantage Kids, an organization that serves at-risk youth and provides opportunities for them to get involved in healthy activities like tennis and yoga. The students had raised $8,932, according to the fundraising page as of Aug. 3, and are hoping to meet their goal of $10,000.

Score: +1

Comment: Rally for Tennis will be held on Sunday, Aug. 15, at Longfellow New Hampshire Tennis and Swim Club in Nashua. Visit rallyfortennis.com to register for the event and donate.

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].

Smoke in the air

Earlier this week — and for the second time in two weeks — the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services issued a statewide advisory due to high concentrations of fine particle air pollution. Officials called for an Air Quality Action Day on July 26 and July 27 and advised children and older adults, people with lung disease such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, and people who are active outdoors to limit prolonged outdoor exertion. According to a press release, the air pollution is being caused by the wildfires in the western U.S. and central and western Canada. The air quality was expected to improve on Wednesday, with winds pushing smoke plumes out of the area, but as of Tuesday morning the wildfires were still burning, which could mean more Air Quality Action Days for New Hampshire.

Score: -1

Comment: Even healthy individuals are encouraged to limit outdoor activity, as particle pollution exposure may cause chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, the release said.

Mission accomplished

With much fewer Covid-19 cases than at the height of the pandemic, and with strong vaccination rates throughout the state, the Senior Support Team of New Hampshire has ended its operations supporting senior residential facilities. According to a press release, the fully remote, all-volunteer organization was formed in April 2020 to support assisted living facilities and other senior residential facilities in New Hampshire through the pandemic. Covid Response Liaisons were available every day to communicate with senior facilities, providing facility leaders with guidance, and a statewide team advocated for supplies or services to help make outbreaks in senior facilities less likely. About 55 senior residential facilities participated in the Covid Response Liaison program, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: The rapid organization of this all-volunteer group, and its work throughout the pandemic, is impressive, but the real positive here is the fact that it’s no longer needed.

Beware of Child Tax Credit scams

Advance payments of the Child Tax Credit from the Internal Revenue Service are now being delivered to families, and along with them are new scams that criminals are using to steal money and personal information. According to a press release, any families that are eligible for the credit should be on the lookout for phone, email, text message and social media scams, specifically communication offering assistance to sign up for the Child Tax Credit or to speed up the monthly payments. When receiving unsolicited calls or messages, taxpayers should not provide personal information, click on links or open attachments, the release said.

Score: -1

Comment: If you are eligible for advance payments of the Child Tax Credit, the IRS will use information from your 2020 or 2019 tax return to automatically enroll you for advance payments, and there is nothing further that you need to do, the release said.

Thriving school systems

New Hampshire has the fifth best school system in the country, according to a recent study released by personal finance website WalletHub, which compiled data of 32 key measures of quality and safety. According to the study, New Hampshire ranks No. 1 in Median ACT Scores and in Existence of Digital Learning Plan. Other Top 10 ratings include No. 3 in Pupil-Teacher Ration, No. 4 in Reading Test Scores and No. 6 in Math Test Scores.

Score: +1

Comment: Overall, we ranked fourth for quality and 12th for safety. Massachusetts ranked first overall, snagging the top spot for both quality and safety.

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].

Fewer violent crimes in the Queen City

Preliminary numbers show that violent crime in Manchester is down 25 percent from April of this year to the end of June. The city usually sees about a 9-percent increase in violent crime heading into the summer months, according to a press release, and the Manchester Police Department is attributing this success in part to the CompStat360 initiative, which promotes collaboration with community members and other city stakeholders to solve community problems, as well as strong collaboration with local, county, state and federal law enforcement and prosecutors. One of the top priorities has been violent crime prevention and reduction, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: The data also shows that gun crime in Manchester has dropped 40 percent compared to 2020 and is down 20 percent when compared to the five-year average, the release said.

Tuition freeze at community colleges

The Community College System of New Hampshire will once again freeze tuition at $215 per credit, or $6,450 per year, in tuition costs for a full-time course load. According to a press release, the rate has been the same for four years, and New Hampshire’s community colleges continue to be the most affordable college options for residents. In addition, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges are offering one free, three-credit course in the fall semester to any member of a New Hampshire high school class of ’21.

Score: +1

Comment:Annual full-time tuition at New Hampshire’s seven community colleges costs only $150 more than it did a decade ago when the tuition rate was $210 per credit for the 2011 school year, according to the release.

Hiring challenges mean less amusement

Without enough employees to staff its regular hours, Canobie Lake Park in Salem will now be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and will close early a few days a week, according to a report from WMUR. Park officials told WMUR that while about half of the staff returns each year, new applicants are down 75 percent. The new hours of the park are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Score: -1

Comment: At least you can still get nauseatingly dizzy on the Turkish Twist five days a week.

Keeping lakes clean

The Lake Host courtesy boat inspection program is celebrating its 20th anniversary as once again its hundreds of lake hosts posted at 100 of the busiest boat ramps in the state are teaching boaters how to clean their boats to prevent the spread of invasive species. According to a press release from NH LAKES, over the past 19 years the Lake Host program has slowed the rate of spread of invasive plants, including milfoil, from lake to lake. The primary way invasive species spread is on boats that have not been thoroughly cleaned, drained and dried between voyages in different bodies of water.

Score: +1

Comment: Approximately 90 of the state’s water bodies contain infestations of invasive species that can clog boat motors and propellers, according to the release, and once they are firmly established they are nearly impossible to get rid of.

QOL score: 80
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 82

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

Massive soap bottle in Manchester

The world’s biggest bottle of soap will make an appearance in Manchester on Saturday, July 17, part of a multi-city tour to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene. According to a press release, clean beauty company Soapbox will donate personal care products to communities in need during the tour. The 21-foot tall, 8.5-foot diameter, 2,500-pound metal and fiberglass bottle will be on view at Hannaford at 201 John E. Devine Dr. between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Score: +1

Comment: During the stop in Manchester, Soapbox will be donating pallets of soap to Families in Transition and hygiene kits to Webster House.

Fifty years of service

The Merrimack Rotary Club has been providing support to the community for 50 years now and celebrated its achievements earlier this month. According to a press release, even the pandemic didn’t stop the Rotary from giving back and holding its weekly meetings — 58 total, via Zoom. It donated to a whole host of organizations and projects, including thousands of masks to Meals on Wheels, the Town of Merrimack and the Merrimack School District. It also provided support to the Wasserman Park Function Hall Sound Tile Project, the Watson Park Pavilion Staining Project and the Adopt-A-Roadside Clean-Up Project, among many other local contributions, the release said.

Score: +1

Comment: “Rotarians are proud to give of their time to benefit others in the community and such service was recognized this year with the … Presidential Citation from Rotary International in honor of all our club has achieved,” R. Brian Snow, Rotary Club of Merrimack President 2020/2021, said in the release.

Illegal fireworks

Illegal use of fireworks is on the rise, according to a press release from the Manchester Fire Department. After receiving numerous complaints from residents over the holiday weekend, both the Manchester Police and Fire departments issued a statement saying they expect fireworks usage to continue as the summer goes on and as such will be conducting enforcement efforts on various weekend nights throughout the season. According to the release, the joint effort is meant to be a proactive approach to remind people of the city ordinance that strictly prohibits the sale, possession or use of fireworks within the Manchester city limits.

Score: -1 for all the noise

Comment: A fire inspector and police officer will ride together from 8 p.m. to midnight on certain weekend nights to monitor fireworks usage, from now through August, the release said.

Big energy bills

New Hampshire is the 10th most energy-expensive state in the country, according to a report released last week by personal finance website WalletHub, which compared average monthly energy bills that accounted for multiple residential energy types: electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and home heating oil. The average monthly energy bill in the Granite State is $355. It ranked fourth most expensive for the price of natural gas and sixth most expensive for the price of electricity.

Score: -1

Comment: The most energy-expensive state, with an average monthly bill of $411, is Connecticut, and the least is District of Columbia, with a $217 average monthly energy bill.

QOL score: 80
Net change: 0
QOL this week: 80

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