Tag: 221027

Quality of Life 22/10/27

Teacher of the year

Christian Cheetham, a teacher at Alvirne High School in Hudson, has been named New Hampshire’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, Cheetham was presented with the award during a surprise celebration on Oct. 24. Selected out of 44 nominees, he will now serve as an ambassador for teachers throughout the state and is in the running for the title of National Teacher of the Year. “I think kids and adults are desperate for real experiences,” Cheetham wrote in his application essay. “Technology is robbing us of our humanity and I strive every day to bring the humanity back. … In my opinion, our students are desperate for real mentoring relationships.” Cheetham also wrote that his motivation as a teacher is to teach students how to live their lives in ways that truly make them happy, according to the release.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Cheetham will join New Hampshire 2023 Teacher of the Year semi-finalists and finalists and other distinguished educators in the state at a Leadership in Education Banquet in December to celebrate their accomplishments.

Rental assistance

New Hampshire Housing has put its NH Emergency Rental Assistance Program on pause after the U.S. Treasury announced that New Hampshire will not receive any additional resources to continue the program beyond Dec. 29. According to a press release, new applications will not be accepted as New Hampshire Housing reviews pending submitted applications, the level of federal funding available and the status of New Hampshire’s existing requests to the U.S. Treasury for additional funding. Visit nhhfa.org/emergency-rental-assistance for updates.

QOL score: -2

Comment:More than $230 million in assistance has been provided to more than 23,000 households across the state through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program since March 2021.

Library for all

Nashua Public Library has opened a new sensory-friendly space for adult programs and events. According to a press release, the library consulted with community organizations that provided information about how to create a more comfortable atmosphere for visitors who are neurodiverse or on the autism spectrum or living with an intellectual or developmental disability. “We recognized that we weren’t serving the neurodiverse community as well as we could be during our adult events,” library director Jennifer McCormack said in the release. “As we learn more about their wide range of needs, we’ve started taking steps to ensure that everyone can enjoy and benefit from our programs in an environment where they can thrive.” Events and programs held in the space are presented with softer lighting, less noise, moveable seating and other sensory-friendly considerations. Visit nashualibrary.org.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The library is looking into additional ways to support the neurodiverse community in the future, the release said, such as offering sensory kits for adults to borrow during library visits; providing a social script with details and illustrations to help adults on the autism spectrum understand what they can expect when visiting the library; and hosting sensory-friendly film screenings.

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 news@hippopress.com.

NBA now in season

With the Celtics starting out 3-0 local optimism continues to be very high. And while it’s just three games, I will say they have done the most important thing they needed to do to show they will be picking up where they were when last season ended: attacking the basket over firing lazy threes. So the season started out as hoped.

Now some thoughts on the opening of the NBA season.

Six Biggest Stories To Start The Year: (1) LeBron James will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time NBA scoring leader sometime after the new year. (2)How long before it implodes in Brooklyn? (3) Zion is (finally) back and the Pels have him. (4)Drama, drama, drama in Laker-land.(5) When will the Draymond Green departure happen at Golden State? After the sucker punch heard round the Chase Center, the Warriors signaled the end is coming by investing big money in young guys Andrew Wiggins and punch-ee Jordan Poole instead of saving some for when the tiresome Draymond’s deal is up at the end of the year. (6) After giving away its future, will pairing bigs Rudy Gobert and KAT work in Minnesota?

For the record, if passed, Kareem will have held that record for 37 years after surpassing previous leader Wilt Chamberlain’s 31,413 in 1985-86.

NBA 101: Who has committed the most personal fouls in NBA history?

Risers: Following a terrific year as a surprise young team last year until big injuries took their toll, Cleveland can’t be called a dark horse. Especially after adding a 25-point-per-game scorer in Donovan Mitchell to their rising young core led by Darius Garland and soon to be star Evan Mobley in a big trade over the summer. But they’ll be a riser to be reckoned with.

Overrated: 76ers: The Big 3 of Joel Embiid, James Harden and the underrated Tyrese Maxey will do damage in the regular season, but unless more is added to the roster at the deadline I don’t see it in the playoffs for them. Having said that, give Harden credit as he looks like he’s lost the many extra pounds he was hauling around last year. Combine that with taking less to stay in Philly than going for every extra penny in free agency. It says he wants to be part of the solution. Now if he actually starts trying on defense he’ll earn a tip of the cap from skeptics. Which as regular readers know includes me.

L.A. Lakers Saga: What they do depends on two things: (1) The health of ever fragile Anthony Davis. (2) Last year’s disaster wasn’t all his fault, though he did get blamed for all of it. But until Russell Westbrook gets a clue that he is not (and never has been) an actual point guard things won’t get better for him or likely the team either. It’s LBJ’s ball, so learn to incorporate what you do well into playing off the ball over dominating it.

Dark Horses: The East — Toronto. Ever whiny Nick (Good Night) Nurse gets a lot out of his players and basketball chief Masai Ujiri is good at finding unheralded talent. The West — New Orleans. Solid Big 3 and Brandon Ingram is better than almost everyone knows. All they need is luck in the health department.

Sorry, Scal, Jayson Tatum is not quite in the Top 5 players in the league just yet. And while it’s subject to change based on performance, here’s my Top 5 in top-to-bottom order: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. I didn’t want to put Jokic here until his team does something. But consecutive MVPs said to do it. Tatum, Luka Doncic and Ja Morant will be the next three to crash the party as Ja really came into his own last year as a dynamic force. Going for 49 on opening night backs that up

NBA 101 Answer: Since he played 20 years in the NBA, it makes sense Kareem has the most fouls ever with 4,657. By contrast, Wilt, who never fouled out of even one game, incredibly is not even in the Top 250 players of fouls committed. This is even more incredible given that he almost never came out of the game. Overall he had just 2,075. His rival Bill Russell committed 2,593, which ranks 181st. LeBron is 210th with 2,531, and second all-time is Karl Malone with 4,578.

What a way to start a career for Jalen Williams. The 12th overall pick out of Santa Clara’s NBA debut for Oklahoma City lasted all of six minutes before he took one in the head leading to surgery on his orbital bone around his right eye that’ll have him out for the foreseeable future.

Former UMass-Lowell coach and current TNT announcer Stan Van Gundy is not the only (semi) local playing a role in the NBA this year. There’s the guy we called “Little” Stevie Clifford because he looked about 14 when he was a fledgling assistant on Bob Brown’s and Keith Dickson’s staff at Saint Anselm in the ’80s, who’s back in Charlotte as HC again there. And on the bench for the bad guys when Boston played Miami Friday night was one-time Plymouth State hoopster Dan Craig.

Incidentally, if Tatum wants to be the best player in the league he can get there if he learns to channel his emotions and frustrations into mental toughness to play (and lead) through adversity. Step 1: Stop being a crybaby when you don’t agree with calls and just play.

OK, one more, I love Bill Russell as much as anyone and like the idea of the year-long tribute. But the song by the rapper in the Riddler getup (see Batman’s adversaries) on opening night was overkill. A great player and dignified man, but come on, he wasn’t Gandhi.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Ensuring you’re insured

Meet the navigators of NH’s Health Market Connect

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently renewed the Covid public health emergency for another 90 days. For those currently enrolled in Medicaid, the extension secures uninterrupted health care coverage through at least Jan. 11. When the emergency declaration ends, however, some may discover that they no longer meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid. Health Market Connect is a community-based organization that oversees a federally funded program created to provide no-cost health insurance assistance to New Hampshire residents. HMC president Keith Ballingal talked about how HMC is working to ensure that residents are prepared for how their health care coverage may change once Covid emergency waivers and flexibilities are no longer in effect.

What is Health Market Connect?

We’re a solely New Hampshire-based organization that helps citizens of the state enroll in the Marketplace and Medicaid insurances. We’re funded by a grant from the federal government. We have 11 people on the team — we’re known as Navigators — and our goal is to do outreach and to do those enrollments. The team is situated in the unique areas of the state of New Hampshire — so, like, North Country and Monadnock and Seacoast regions — to make sure they understand the unique pieces of those communities.

What does the health insurance assistance that HMC provides look like?

We get an understanding of who they are. If they qualify [for Medicaid or Marketplace], we’ll help them to apply … and to understand the insurance companies they’ll be placed with and how they work. Sometimes there’s also [a need for a] follow-up when the system can’t quite confirm a person’s income — maybe there was a change in the household — and anytime there’s follow-up documentation, we can help the consumer with that as well, for both Medicaid and Marketplace.

Why is it important that HMC is community-based?

In one sense, my team does what healthcare.gov does over the computer or over the phone — we put somebody into insurance — but the team is also community-focused, which means they’ll be in a library or in a local store; they’ll be in those places so that, if somebody really wants to have that face-to-face interaction, they can have that. It’s also our job to know how different places here in New Hampshire work together.

How will the end of the public health emergency affect health coverage, and who will be affected?

A good majority of people on Medicaid. Because of the public health emergency, no one can lose Medicaid, so [people haven’t made] as much of an effort to make sure their information is up to date with Medicaid. … The state has sent out what they call “pink letters” — pink letters in the mail to get the attention of everybody who needs to make sure their information is up to date. … [Qualifying for] Medicaid and Marketplace depends on the number of people in the household and the income. [Consumers with] lower incomes will [qualify for] Medicaid. … Anybody who truly should have Medicaid, who qualifies, needs to make sure their information is up to date so they don’t lose it.

What concerns or confusion have people expressed about that?

The concern from a number of people is that, because they got the pink letter, maybe they’re going to lose their coverage very soon. We need to alleviate that [concern] and say, ‘Listen, we’ll help you get your information in, but because the public health emergency is continuing, you are not, under any circumstances, going to lose coverage yet.’ … I also want to make sure it’s known that there’s an insurance program for everybody. A lot of times, we have people say, ‘Oh, I won’t qualify for [Medicaid or the Marketplace],’ but the reality is there’s an answer for everyone. If somebody gets stuck, it’s just a matter of reaching out, and we’ll be glad to give [their case] a second look to make sure they understand that if they didn’t qualify for one thing, that just means there’s a different solution for them.

Will changes in health coverage brought about by the end of the public health emergency result in people having to change doctors or medications?

Potentially. If there’s a household that’s making a little more income [and wouldn’t] qualify for Medicaid, they’re going to go from Medicaid into the Marketplace. Medicaid has three particular insurance companies, and the Marketplace has three different insurance companies, so in those cases, we want to make sure that as they make that change … they’ll be placed for coverage that will work for them depending on the doctors they need to see … and that the medications they need to take are still covered, hopefully at a reasonable cost.

Are we any closer to knowing when the public health emergency will end?

We always know when it’s going to end — until they move [the end date] again. … We’ve been getting ready in earnest since the summer … to try to make sure we’re ready for those people who have Medicaid but no longer qualify for it.

Featured photo: Keith Ballingal. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 22/10/27

Marketplace open enrollment

The open enrollment period for the Healthcare.gov Marketplace, during which New Hampshire residents can purchase or change their Affordable Care Act individual health coverage for 2023, begins on Nov. 1 and will run through Jan. 15, 2023. The Marketplace provides affordable health insurance options to residents who don’t have access to health insurance through a job, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or another qualifying form of health coverage. Applications can be submitted online, over the phone, on paper, through a certified enrollment partner website or through an agent or broker. Coverage can start as soon as Jan. 1 for those who enroll by Dec. 15. Visit healthcare.gov/quick-guide/one-page-guide-to-the-marketplace to learn more about how to enroll and to download a checklist of information to have ready for the application process.

Tracking relief funds

The New Hampshire Department of Education has launched a new dashboard web page allowing the public to see how Covid relief funds are being spent on education in New Hampshire. According to a press release, New Hampshire has received about $650 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Relief Fund to support education during the pandemic. The transparent, interactive dashboard, called iGrant, includes data on how those funds are used, including allocations, spending details, paid reimbursements by school districts and top activities where dollars are being spent by schools. “Covid relief funds have been instrumental in helping New Hampshire and other states with their educational needs as they look ahead,” Jessica Lescarbeau, NHED’s administrator of Covid education programs, said in the release. “This new web page is a tremendous resource for the public to be able to explore how schools are allocating these funds to jumpstart and strengthen recovery efforts.” Visit education.nh.gov for a link to the iGrant dashboard.

Drug Take Back Day

The DEA’s bi-annual National Drug Take Back Day takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29. New Hampshire town and city police departments will host collection sites throughout the state from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where citizens are encouraged to bring their unwanted, unused or expired prescription medications to be safely discarded. Visit dea.gov/takebackday for a collection site locator to find a collection site near you.

Supporting folklife and traditional arts

The New Hampshire State Council for the Arts has announced the recipients of its 2023 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants and Folklife and Traditional Arts project grants, totaling more than $60,000 in funding. According to a press release, the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants were awarded to eight master traditional artists in the state to host one-on-one apprenticeships with qualified apprentices. The Folklife and Traditional Arts project grants, which support new and ongoing projects in the state focused on folklife and traditional arts, were awarded to the American Independence Museum in Exeter, the Franco-American Centre in Manchester, the Hopkinton Historical Society, Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner and the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter. Visit nh.gov/nharts.

Academic performance data

The New Hampshire Department of Education has released comprehensive statewide assessment data for the 2021-2022 school year. According to a press release, the data shows that New Hampshire students’ academic performance levels have improved for the first time since the pandemic started, but remain slightly lower than they were pre-pandemic in 2019. To view academic performance data for a particular school district, academic subject, grade level or student demographic, use NHED’s iPlatform portal at education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-educator-and-analytic-resources/iplatform.

Seven to save

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance announced its 2022 Seven to Save list during an event at the historic Belknap Mill in Laconia on Oct. 18. According to a press release, the list highlights vulnerable historic resources, landmarks and properties in the state that are in need of new or revived uses and transformative investments before they can become viable community assets again. One local property that made the list is the historic Bean Tavern in Raymond. The tavern started hosting Raymond town meetings in 1764 and is believed to have been abandoned in the years following the Civil War. The building’s immediate needs include a new roof and tree removal. Other listees include the Flying Yankee, a 1935 stainless steel train currently homed in Lincoln; St. John’s Methodist Church in Jefferson, which dates back to 1868; Hill Center Church, an 1800 meetinghouse in Hill; Stone School, a school in Newington opened in 1920 and vacant since 2003; the Old Carroll County Courthouse in Ossipee, built in 1839. The seventh listee is New Hampshire’s preservation trades workforce. “Our state’s timber frames, slate roofs, wood windows, and stone walls cannot fix themselves and there’s a real shortage of skilled craftspeople who can do this level of specialized work. “Our state’s timber frames, slate roofs, wood windows, and stone walls cannot fix themselves and there’s a real shortage of skilled craftspeople who can do this level of specialized work,” the 2022 Seven to Save flyer states. Visit nhpreservation.org/seven-to-save to learn more about the listees and how you can support historic preservation efforts in New Hampshire.

The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has announced the appointment of a new state director. According to a press release, Rachel Rouillard will lead the state’s The Nature Conservancy team, headquartered in Concord, which includes 29 staff members and 20 trustees. Rouillard previously served as the director of conservation strategy for the organization, a role in which she worked to advance conservation, restoration and climate adaptation priorities to protect land and water for people in the state.

New Hampshire Humanities hosts a free public program, “Stop Scrolling! Journalism, Objectivity, and the Future of News,” on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Rex Theatre in Manchester (23 Amherst St.). According to a press release, speakers will include former Concord Monitor editor Mike Pride and New Hampshire Public Radio senior news editor Daniela Allee, with discussion moderated by Dr. Kimberly Lauffer of Keene State College. The program will explore the future of journalism and how readers can navigate news content and use information responsibly. Register to attend in person or sign up to access the livestream at nhhumanities.org.

Nashua High School South (36 Riverside St., Nashua) welcomes high school juniors and seniors from southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts to the annual Nashua Regional College Fair on Monday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. According to a press release, representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities will be set up in the school’s gymnasium to talk with prospective students and parents. Visit nashua.edu for the list of participating institutions.

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