Posts by Annmarie Timmins
When executive councilors questioned the state’s choice of a buyer for the former Laconia State School campus last week, the governor and head of the Department of Administrative Services assured them her professional and financial qualifications had been widely vetted.
The Executive Council was expected to vote Wednesday on the department’s proposed $21.5 million purchase and sale agreement with Robynne Alexander of Manchester, whose development experience in New Hampshire includes a seven-unit rental property in Hampton and a multi-use building renovation in Manchester that is three years behind schedule and the subject of a lawsuit. Alexander told the Bulletin Monday the Laconia development proposal, which includes 1,300 housing units, a hotel and conference center, and medical facilities, would be her largest. She said her investors, whom she’s not named, are prepared to put at least $500 million into the property.
The Manchester developer chosen by the state to turn the 220-acre former Laconia State School into a massive housing, entertainment, commercial, and medical services campus has never completed a project nearly as large, she said Monday. Her biggest project in New Hampshire, a mixed-use property in Manchester, is three years behind schedule and the subject of a lawsuit brought by an investor.
Citing a 31 percent increase in incident reports of restraints, seclusion, and other mistreatment of children, the state’s child advocate told state officials Monday that she needs more staff and money to ensure the state is providing at-risk youth safe, dignified, and effective treatment.
The “open enrollment” window to buy subsidized health care from the federal government opened Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15. Here’s the bigger news: A fix of the so-called “family glitch” means thousands more people may now qualify for cheaper insurance – but not know it.
Adults insured by Medicaid may be a step closer to having their dental care covered. Last week the Executive Council will consider a $33.5 million contract with the Delta Dental Plan of New Hampshire to provide not only oral care but also oral education and transportation to appointments when needed.
Gersh Autism told parents Monday it is closing its day and residential school and recreation program at Crotched Mountain on Nov. 18. The news leaves families of children whose disabilities are too complex for public school with limited alternatives.
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.
The Department of Health and Human Services has received initial approval to provide SolutionHealth, which owns Elliot Hospital in Manchester, with $15 million in federal money to build a new behavioral health hospital, adding more than 100 new treatment beds for children and adults struggling with mental illness and substance misuse.
Crushing caseloads had driven a mass exodus of public defenders, leaving 185 criminal defendants too poor to hire an attorney facing incarceration with no one to defend them. Would the lawyers around the table take some of those cases for as little as $60 an hour, a fraction of the $350 to $450 hourly rate their firms typically charge. And regardless of how much time and staff each case took, their payment would be capped at $1,400 for a misdemeanor and $4,100 to $8,000 for felonies.
As of July 16, help for mental health crises became available nationwide, 24/7, via a three-digit call or text to 988. But for Granite Staters without 603 phone numbers, that may not be the best option, especially if they need immediate help.
In a written statement provided by the department, Shibinette, who is on vacation this week, said she will take a short break from work to focus on herself and her family.
Last year, lawmakers gave the state Department of Health and Human Services until March 1, 2023, to close the Sununu Youth Services Center and relocate the five to 10 juveniles typically detained there. Last week, they killed the bill that would have given the department the money, guidance, and authority to meet that deadline.
Dr. Carol Barsky, chief quality and value officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, discusses vaccination status among COVID-19 positive patients.
The Executive Council has approved the department’s request to pay Maxim Healthcare in Manchester nearly $847,000 in federal money to provide 18 youth counselors immediately.
Gov. Chris Sununu did not hide his frustration, especially with Councilor Ted Gatsas who initiated the no vote that was supported by Councilors David Wheeler and Joseph Kenney.
Taylor Caswell, director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery, provided those details to the fiscal committee ahead of its meeting Friday. Based on the additional information, it appears Caswell has revised his plan.
Parents unable to find or afford child care have abandoned the workforce, leaving employers across all sectors desperate for staff. Some, including child care providers, have had to limit hours or close altogether. Others, facing soaring operating costs, are wondering how long they can afford the salaries they increased to lure job seekers.
Federal law requires that all children on traditional and expanded Medicaid receive free preventative and emergency dental care and restoration of their teeth. New Hampshire is one of 10 states that provide only emergency dental benefits for adults, according to the American Dental Association. That means the state will cover a tooth extraction for the approximately 85,000 adults on traditional and expanded Medicaid in New Hampshire but none of the preventative care to avoid that extraction.
In other words, there is nothing in that mid-October report, which the Bulletin obtained through a right-to-know request to the state, to indicate whether the nearly $27,000 it’s spending this month on Facebook and Instagram ads alone is on track to achieve the goal: getting more people vaccinated. And nothing GYK Antler provided in that performance summary shows whether the firm has assessed the campaign’s effectiveness or the possibility that a different approach with different messaging would be more effective.