by April Mottram, NHPHA Executive Director

NHPHA hosted our year end celebration event for the 2020-2021 Public Health Mentoring Program on May 13th.  Mentors and mentees participating in the program convened virtually to celebrate and reflect what they learned as a result of participating in the program.  The event was used as an opportunity to gather feedback about the program.  This feedback will be reviewed, and the input will help guide the programming for the next cohort which will start in the fall of 2021.  Additional details about this cohort will be shared as soon as the details are finalized.  

by Trinidad Tellez,  MD, Health Equity Strategist

The New Hampshire COVID-19 Equity Task Force was convened in March of 2020 to address issues of equity arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and response and has met regularly since then with close to 60 individuals consistently participating, and new participants joining regularly. Members include individual community members and leaders, local community-based organizations, non-profit and advocacy organizations, as well as state and municipal government staff.  

by: Gail T. Brown, JD, MSW, Director NH Oral Health Coalition 

NOW is an exciting time in oral health as we see increased visibility, awareness, and support on the importance of equitable access to oral health and dental services on both the state and federal levels. The passage of updated policy aimed at reducing barriers to oral health access is critical.  

by Gail Tudor, NHPHA Board President

I am one month into my year as president of NHPHA and writing my first newsletter article. It is difficult to know what to focus on as we are working on so much, such as advocacy work, creating and partnering with coalitions, planning the Team Up Take Action (TUTA) conference for fall 2021, training new board members, overseeing interns, creating and updating policies, grant writing, planning workforce development opportunities, and more. Given that our accomplishments are directly dependent on the person-hours we have available to us, I have decided to focus on the worth of volunteering.  

By Jess Barnett, NHPHA Communications Committee Co-Chair

by Jayme Simoes, NHPHA Communications Committee Co-Chair

If you’ve had trouble paying for prescription medicine for yourself or family members -- regardless if you are insured or not -- you aren’t alone. Americans pay three times more for medications than people in other countries. As the cost of lifesaving medications like insulin skyrocket, Granite Staters face impossible tradeoffs, like deciding whether to pay rent or to purchase the medications that keep them alive. 

by Nicole Chute, Health Promotion & Communication Specialist, City of Nashua Division of Public Health & Community Services

Preparing for New Hampshire’s beautiful summer months is an exciting time, but there are also potential outdoor hazards that can be prevented. To help relieve stress and keep yourself, your family, and your community safe, we encourage practicing the following summer safety tips.

by Tiffany Dodier, Food Access Coalition Coordinator

A lot is going on in the world of child hunger and nutrition legislation both at the federal level and at the state level. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization is well underway whereby Congress makes amendments to existing child nutrition statutes and authorizations for appropriations to programs that are not permanently authorized. Listed below is legislation introduced that make amendments to these programs:

by Lisa Vasquez, NHPHA Communications Committee Member, NHPHA HR/Nominating Committee Member

The tenth anniversary of National Prevention Week (NPW) takes place on May 9th through May 15^th this year. The purpose of the weeklong event is to involve communities to raise awareness of substance misuse and mental health issues, to increase collaborations and partnerships between agencies to improve public health, and to promote substance use prevention and mental health resources and services.

by Jess Barnett, NHPHA Communications Committee Member

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual event started in 1949 by Mental Health America and observed by many United States organizations. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health awareness is more important than ever. For this year’s monthlong observance, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is sharing the theme “You Are Not Alone.” More information on this message can be found at the link.

by Lisa Burk-McCoy, Grants Coordinator, Creative Communities & Arts in Health

The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is now taking applications for its FY2022 Arts in Health project grant program.  The application deadline is May 14.  These grants award up to $6,000 for projects occurring 8/1/21 – 9/30/22.  The match requirement is waived for this grant cycle. 

by Tiffany Dodier, Food Access Coalition Coordinator

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, SB98 relative to the SNAP incentive program passed unanimously out of the Senate. It was introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to the House Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. Since then, SB98 was vacated by the HHS Committee and referred to finance. At this time, advocacy efforts are specifically focused on contacting members of the House Finance Committee and asking them to vote yes on SB98. Additional efforts include contacting all Representatives to ask, when SB98 comes to the House floor, to vote yes. The NHPHA has created a one-page information sheet about SB98 to assist with talking points that can be found at the NH Food Access Coalition (NHFAC) Padlet.

by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator 

The COVID-19 Equity Task Force continues to meet twice a month and has been regularly incorporating short presentations from speakers about important public health topics, as well as working in workgroups that focus on inequalities in populations. The Task Force members have also been making an effort to continue to centralize equity within the large group as well as provide opportunities for participants to meet and engage with more members outside of their workgroups.

by Andrea Guzman, Workforce Development Coordinator

This month Workforce Development really wants to support students who will be graduating within the next few months. We understand how tricky it can be to get a job after college and wanted to offer some guidance. For the second year, we provided students with a Virtual Career Panel and are thrilled with this year's presentation. Panelists Victoria Adeweumi, Chelsey Canavan, Megan DeNubila, and Sam Harris walked students through their career trajectories, discussed their current positions, and offered students feedback about how to get where they want to go in their career. Panelists suggested fellowships and internships to apply for, networking tactics to try, and recommended leadership and communication approaches to make students notable. NHPHA wants to thank these panelists and is so proud to have had the opportunity to work with them.

by Jayme Simoes, President of Louis Karno & Company Communications and NHPHA Communications Committee Co-Chair

People who face housing discrimination often don’t know where to turn for help. They may have questions about whether their circumstances qualify as discrimination, or they may just wonder what options they have to remedy their problem. The NHLA Fair Housing Project was formed more than 20 years ago to serve as a resource for people’s fair housing questions and fight for victims of discrimination to get the remedies they deserve.

by Tara Graham, NHPHA Immunization Coalition Coordinator

Immunization coalitions are comprised of a variety of community partners, including healthcare and public health professionals, community and industry leaders, parents, businesses, and anyone else interested in improving vaccination rates in the region that the coalition serves.  They accomplish this through education, collaboration, and advocacy, bringing reliable, scientifically proven information to the community.

by Regan Doherty

Before National Public Health Week this April, the advocacy meeting experience I had consisted of attending meetings with Massachusetts legislative officials and their staff in high school at various state house breakfasts. When I got the email that I was recommended to apply for the Affiliate Leader for the American Public Health Association’s Policy Action Institute, I was excited to level up to the big leagues of DC, virtually, of course. As a senior in college at the University of New Hampshire, studying Health Management & Policy and attending Boston University getting my Master’s Degree in Public Health in Health Policy & Law in the fall, this experience was very beneficial, and I will use what I learned to further my policy advocacy in the future.

by Nicole Chute, Health Promotion & Communication Specialist, City of Nashua Division of Public Health & Community Services

It’s almost that time of year! Prom can be one of the highlights of the high school experience as it is an important and exciting milestone for a young person. In preparation for this exciting event, parents and students need to understand the law, the risks associated with underage drinking and drug use, and make plans to celebrate safely. The New Hampshire Public Health Association (NHPHA) wants to share some tips to help students make smart decisions to look and feel great, stress less, and stay protected.

by Jayme Simoes, President of Louis Karno & Company Communications and NHPHA Communications Committee Co-Chair

The recently passed American Rescue Plan removed an income cap — for two years — for Affordable Care Act health insurance premium tax credits through the federal health exchange in New Hampshire. The amount paid is now limited to 8.5% of income. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief package included changes increasing tax credits through the ACA marketplace for 2021 and 2022, expanding who qualifies for the financial help, and forgiving amounts due by taxpayers who received too much in subsidies last year. A special enrollment period for the exchange — for existing enrollees to switch or for new enrollees to get coverage — is currently open until August 2021.