NEWS & NOTES
Mental health plan
After a two-year drafting process, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services released its latest 10-Year Mental Health Plan. The plan was developed with input from “hundreds of interested parties,” including state agencies, mental health organizations and the public. Unlike the previous plan, released in 2008, the department reported that this plan also covers children’s mental health issues as well as behavioral health challenges facing adults. The new 10-year plan recommends several additions and expansions to the state’s mental health system, including more mobile crisis services, incentives to increase psychiatric bed capacity, increasing peer support networks, better integrating mental health care and primary care services, higher Medicaid rates for mental health services and greater support for patients transitioning to and from higher levels of mental health care. The department will conduct quarterly reporting on the progress of recommendations outlined in the plan. Gov. Chris Sununu wrote in a statement that he will be “acting on several of the action items contained in this plan in the next state budget.” To read the plan, visit dhhs.nh.gov/ dcbcs/bbh/10-year-mh-plan.htm.
Hospital systems
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and GraniteOne Health announced they will move toward combining their two organizations. Members of Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s system include New London Hospital, Cheshire Medical Center in Keene and Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, while GraniteOne Health is composed of Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, Hug-
gins Hospital in Wolfeboro and Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough. According to the organizations’ announcement, the combined nonprofit health care system would focus on integrating primary, specialty, ambulatory and inpatient care while lowering costs. Patients would continue to be treated in existing health care facilities, and all involved organizations within the combined system would retain their names, identities and local leadership. Joseph Pepe, CEO of GraniteOne Health and president and CEO of Catholic Medical Center, wrote in a statement that the combined network would “[expand] access to primary and specialty care for all New Hampshire residents, including vulnerable patients and communities.”
Transportation grants
Nine cities and towns received a total of $5.7 million through the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program, according to a news release. The program is federally funded and provides grants for “alternative transportation projects,” such as pedestrian and bicycle paths, rail trail improvements and safe routes to schools. Cities and towns must provide at least a 20 percent match in funding. These latest projects include $800,000 for a one-mile multi-use path along Harvey Road, Webster Road and Grenier Field Road in Londonderry; $800,000 for a pedestrian bicycle trail along Perimeter Road, South Willow Street and Harvey Road in Manchester; and $799,179 to upgrade sidewalks and create bicycle lanes on Lock Street and Whitney Street in Nashua. Projects in Franklin, Jaffrey, Keene, New Castle, Northumberland and Swanzey also received funding. For
this round of grants, the department received 38 applications from New Hampshire cities and towns requesting a total of $22.6 million. CONCORD
Female legislators
The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation in Concord reported that both chambers of the state legislature have more female lawmakers this session. There are now 10 female senators in the 24-seat chamber, compared to seven last session. In the House, the number of female representatives increased from 115 to 135 out of a total of 400 seats. Women now hold 34.2 percent of available seats in the state legislature. Grafton County was the only county to elect a female-majority at 54 percent, while Strafford County has a 50-50 gender split. Female representation is lowest in Belknap (11 percent) and Cheshire (17 percent) counties. Among the two major parties, Republicans dropped from 41 to 29 female lawmakers across both chambers, while Democrats jumped from 81 to 116 total female legislators in Concord. Since 2001, Democrats have had more female legislators than Republicans except for the 2011-2012 session, according to the foundation’s report.
PATRIOTS FANS
Hooksett
Goffstown A Tesla Model X crash in New Ipswich is the first fatal crash involving an electric car in the state, the Concord Monitor reported. A 19-yearold woman from the town died this month from burn wounds sustained from the crashBedford that occurred in December.
The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry announced “The Rob Holland Experience,” a new virtual reality flight simulator. Rob Holland of Nashua is an acclaimed aerobatic pilot and owner of Rob Holland Ultimate Airshows.
MANCHESTER
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Amherst
Derry
Londonderry
Milford
NASHUA
Last week, Southern New Hampshire University and the Boston Celtics opened the new STEAM Lab at Fairgrounds Elementary in Nashua, according to a news release. The lab includes Chromebook laptop computers, iPads, a 3D printer and 3D pens. This is the 12th teaching lab opened in the state by SNHU and the Celtics.
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For so many reasons, but here’s one more: fresh off the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII berth, the New Hampshire Troopers Association announced it will be selling novelty State Police patches with the team’s original logo in the center. Patches cost $10 each and are available via mail order. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, which sponsors education, health, culture and character development programs for youth and families in the region. Visit facebook.com/NHTroopers.
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THE SALEM POLICE DEPARTMENT
WMUR reported that the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is investigating Robert Morin, deputy chief of the Salem Police Department. The investigation has been ongoing since Nov. 30, 2018, though the office didn’t release further details. The announcement follows an extensive audit of department practices released late last year, as well as the resignation of Chief Paul Donovan ahead of his scheduled retirement in 2021. According to the final audit report, the department mismanaged comp time, officer scheduling, payroll and internal investigations.
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