This story was originally Concord MonitorNHPR is Granite State News Collaborative.
Investing in talent and culture, fostering vibrant communities and improving customer service are three core initiatives included in a new road map for 2024-25 announced by the state health department.
The plan outlines initiatives and goals for the coming year, including a renewed focus on improving mental health resources and supports across the state, as well as the overall health and well-being of New Hampshire residents, including seniors.
“This plan is the culmination of months of work with partners and the people we serve to develop a bold action plan to strengthen key systems and policies to improve health outcomes in our state,” Health and Human Services Secretary Lori Weaver said in a statement.
One of the main mental health initiatives has been to end the practice of admitting people with acute mental illnesses to hospital emergency rooms, something the state achieved under a court order. Currently, patients often have to wait days or even weeks for a bed to become available without receiving the right treatment.
The state was directed to end the practice in May following a federal court ruling last year, but has requested additional time to comply.
Through its “Mission Zero” initiative, the roadmap sets a goal of increasing the number of psychiatric beds across the state.
The state plans to have all 185 beds in New Hampshire Hospital fully operational by December — 15 of those beds are currently offline due to staffing shortages and renovations — plus Dartmouth Health plans to add five more beds by the end of the year.
The state also began construction on the New Londonderry Joint Venture Behavioral Hospital in August, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
The roadmap also seeks to expand supportive and transitional housing for people recovering from mental illness. Currently, many patients who are ready to be discharged remain in inpatient facilities due to a lack of suitable housing, taking up valuable beds and delaying treatment for patients waiting in hospital emergency rooms.
As of Thursday, 67 patients have been waiting more than 15 days to be discharged from New Hampshire Hospital because of a lack of supportive housing.
Peter Ames, executive director of the Foundation for Healthy Communities, strongly supported the state’s plan, saying, “Collaboration with hospitals, health systems and providers will facilitate the integration of critical mental health services and ensure comprehensive care for all individuals.”
Labor shortage
New Hampshire has been plagued by vacancies in many areas of health care, leading to delays in patient care, especially access to counselors and therapists, which can take weeks or even months.
The state aims to reduce the current vacancy rate for all full-time licensed positions by 3%, from 15.4% in May 2024 to 12.4% by June 2025.
Initiatives include developing academic partnerships with community college systems, universities and colleges to increase recruitment of new graduates, students and interns interested in health care employment.
Additionally, the state will streamline candidate certification and communication processes and develop a robust retention strategy.
Other areas of focus
The transition of inmates out of prison and back into society has also been a focus, with plans to use federal funding to provide a limited benefits package of pre-release health and social services to help inmates reintegrate into society.
Reducing premature births and maternal deaths among pregnant women and newborns is another important goal.
The state’s report from 2018 to 2022 found that 52.5% of pregnancy-related deaths were the result of overdoses of substances including fentanyl, cocaine and heroin.
To improve outcomes for mothers and babies, by March 2025, the state will increase the number of perinatal health care workers in the state who are trained to screen for, treat and refer for services for perinatal mental and substance use disorders.
Additionally, the plan focuses on increasing the percentage of people receiving home- and community-based services rather than nursing home care, and improving consistent and equitable access and delivery of services for people with developmental disabilities.
“As we age and live longer, more productive lives, it is critical that we ensure needed services are available and accessible across New Hampshire,” said Rebecca Skye, executive director of the state Commission on Aging. “Realizing our priority goals will support us all and ensure that we and our families not only age well, but thrive in our later years.”
Given the growing awareness of the human health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” ensuring that bottled water manufacturers are complying with testing requirements for these substances is also a goal area for the Department.
“I know these commitments and goals are bold,” Weaver said, “but I am confident that together we can achieve the goals of the DHHS Roadmap 2024-2025.”
