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State is putting its vaccine vans back on the road
The state Department of Health and Human Services is returning three mobile vaccine vans to the road ahead of fall and winter, when the state has previously seen COVID-19 surges. Businesses and community groups can book the vans for onsite vaccinations at no cost. The vans will also visit people who are homebound and unable […]
For voters looking into a lawmaker’s legislative attendance record, the details matter
House Clerk Paul Smith fields calls “pretty frequently” from voters wanting to know their representative’s attendance record. As the election approaches, candidates are now asking the same about their opponents. The answer is complicated enough to make drawing conclusions a challenge. Do you count the number of session days missed? (This year, nearly 180 House […]
Lawmaker aims to address hysterectomy hurdles
After other medical procedures had failed to stop Rep. Ellen Read’s years of heavy menstrual bleeding she asked an obstetrician to do a hysterectomy. The doctor declined. Several others did too, all for the same reason: Read was in her late 20s and they doubted her long-held decision not to have children. Read, a Newmarket […]
DHHS issues ‘all call’ to keep Sununu Youth Services Center staffed
A dire shortage of youth counselors at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester has escalated routine behavior issues to police calls and prompted an “all call” to any Department of Health and Human Services worker willing to pick up an overtime shift, department officials said Tuesday. These challenges come as the detention center is […]
Disability rights advocates: Sununu mischaracterized special education rights in private schools
During a recent campaign event, Gov. Chris Sununu said students with disabilities will not lose their right to special education services if their parents use the state’s school voucher-like program to place them in private school. That’s not true, according to disability rights advocates and the parental handbook put out by the Children’s Scholarship Fund, […]
Lawmaker wants to limit insulin copays to $35 for more Granite Staters
This story was updated on Sept. 28, 2022 at 7:30 a.m. to correct Rep. Joshua Adjutant’s political party. New Hampshire residents pay no more than $35 for a 30-day supply of insulin – if they have commercial insurance or Medicaid coverage. Proposed legislation would extend that cap to people who don’t have insurance and earn […]
Monkeypox cases climb in NH as vaccine uptake remains low
As the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in New Hampshire climbs – from 16 to 29 in the past month – state health officials have expanded eligibility for the vaccine and announced additional vaccination sites. Any person who identifies as gay, bisexual, queer, or is a man who has sex with men, and believes they […]
Worker shortage and too few discharge options close 48 beds at state hospital
In a week where nearly 30 adults were waiting in emergency rooms for inpatient psychiatric care, 48 of New Hampshire Hospital’s 184 beds are closed due to staffing shortages, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette told executive councilors this week. That’s partly due to the department’s inability to compete with wages and […]
Hospital beds are full – but not with COVID-19 patients
When COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 433 in January, hospitals were so desperate for space they treated some patients in hallways and sent others to neighboring states. But even as the number of COVID-19 patients has plummeted, hospital beds remain in high demand. On Sunday, the most recent data available, just 10 percent of regular beds and […]
Mobile health clinic will travel the North Country
This fall, North Country residents will have a more convenient option for getting preventive health care, including immunizations, glucose screenings, and some medical services. The New Hampshire Medical Society and North Country Health Consortium are partnering to launch theNorthern New Hampshire Mobile Health Clinic, which will provide care via a van. The vehicle will also […]
‘Largest energy relief package ever’ becomes law, as governor’s vetoes sustained
With energy costs skyrocketing, Gov. Chris Sununu signed what he called the state’s largest energy relief package ever into law Thursday, hours after it passed the Legislature. The move came as lawmakers met for the state’s veto day, leaving all of the governor’s vetoes intact. Funded through the state’s general fund, the energy bill could […]
Abortion will be on the November ballot. Some Republicans who backed an exemption won’t.
It was six Republicans, not Democrats, who sponsored the bill adding an exception this year to the state’s 24-week abortion ban for a fatal fetal anomaly. And anti-abortion groups made sure their constituents knew. Days ahead of Tuesday’s primary, campaign fliers hit mailboxes in Pittsfield and Chichester, telling residents their Republican state representative, James Allard, […]