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Shaheen goes around Executive Council again, this time to restore sex ed
For a second time, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has helped secure federal dollars to work around three Republican executive councilors to restore a community sex education program they defunded in November. Shaheen announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide direct funding to the TLC Family Resource Center in Claremont and […]
Funding will add 114 beds for people who need intensive care for disabilities, brain injuries
The Department of Health and Human Services plans to use $2.1 million of federal funding to expand housing for people with disabilities or traumatic brain injuries who are at risk of homelessness or out-of-state placement. The Executive Council approved the department’s request to provide four organizations grants to buy or renovate properties in Keene, Weare, […]
Half a million people nationwide lost Medicaid but shouldn’t have. NH is correcting it.
Federal Medicaid officials announced Thursday that nearly 500,000 people nationwide have improperly lost their Medicaid insurance under what they called a “system glitch” that disenrolled people who remained eligible. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not report how many people were disenrolled in New Hampshire, but State Medicaid Director Henry Lipman told the […]
Nearly 3,180 Granite Staters get Medicaid back under new federal guidance
The state Department of Health and Human Services has reinstated Medicaid insurance for 3,176 people, including 1,351 children, based on new eligibility guidance from the federal government. The change will also allow nearly 1,200 people who are up for renewal in October to keep their Medicaid, said Medicaid Director Henry Lipman. “We certainly see this […]
Council could get rejected family planning contracts for a fifth time
This story was updated on Sept. 19, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. to clarify that Planned Parenthood of Northern New England can apply for state family planning funding but not additional federal funding. The state’s Family Planning Program, which provides more than 17,000 Granite Staters low-cost basic health care, such as STI testing and treatment, cancer […]
New child care funding aimed at employers, centers, family providers
The state is investing nearly $6.75 million in federal money in two new initiatives to expand child care for parents and help employers become more aware and supportive of employees’ child care needs. Both projects were inspired by the Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to expand affordable quality child care across the state. […]
Jails, prisons are ‘default’ medical providers, and taxpayers are paying
Over the last several months, the Department of Corrections has needed an additional $6.5 million to keep up with inmate medical costs, including a 176 percent increase in ambulance costs since 2022. It’s not alone among correctional facilities. The superintendent of the Cheshire County jail has seen some medical costs jump 25 percent since last […]
Court: Mental health disorders do not automatically qualify as insanity
The state Supreme Court has ordered that a man serving his New Hampshire prison sentence in Montana cannot be transferred back to the state to serve his time in the prison’s secure psychiatric unit simply because he feels he is not getting adequate mental health treatment in Montana. To qualify for transfer to the prison’s […]
State GOP takes on illegal crossings with legislation, outreach
State Republican Party leaders announced Friday they are pursuing several initiatives to address increased illegal crossings from Canada, including legislation tightening bail laws and outlawing so-called “sanctuary cities,” and extending a welcome to immigrants and refugees who are in the state legally. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced in February an 846 percent increase in […]
Report: Without more housing and child care, employers won’t find workers
When adjusted for inflation, the average hourly wage in New Hampshire over the last 12 months is lower than it was in 2021. For every unemployed person, there are more than three unfilled jobs, due in part to limited affordable housing and child care. Workers 55 and older are increasingly saying they no longer want […]
Child advocate has lawmakers rethinking abuse, neglect placements
It looks certain that New Hampshire lawmakers will introduce legislation next week that would tighten the state’s ability to place neglected and abused children in institutional settings when their own homes are unsafe. The inspiration? A pair of reports from the state’s child advocate detailing her concerns about Bledsoe Youth Academy, a Gallatin, Tennessee, facility […]
Some kids get dental care in school. Advocates aim to make that universal.
Nearly 30 years ago, a group of hygienists, school nurses, and dentists in greater Derry grew concerned that students were coming to school with such painful tooth decay they were missing class. If kids weren’t getting to the dentist, they asked, could dental care come to kids? With help from a local funder and some […]