December Recovery Ready Communities Collaborative Meeting Minutes
Happy holidays to all!
What’s New
- Today we’re going to learn more about New Futures, an organization that aims to provide nonpartisan, evidence-based solutions to New Hampshire’s health challenges through policy work.
- In addition, we are going to brainstorm Communication strategies and policy questions, two of the four core 2025-2026 priorities that the collaborative members identified in September’s meeting.
Featured Speaker – Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy, New Futures
- New Futures actively engages in supporting or opposing key legislation that is vital to the health of New Hampshire’s citizens. By closely monitoring and participating in the legislative process, they provide testimony, organize partners, collaborate with the media, and mobilize advocates as needed.
- New futures substance use portfolio:
- Prevention
- Alcohol fund
- Regulation of addictive products
- Access to Treatment
- Workforce/licensure
- Regulation
- Insurance coverage
- Recovery Supports
- RCOs
- Housing
- Criminal Justice
- Drug courts
- Treatment behind the walls
- Co-Occurring
- Mental Health
- Prevention
- Bills to look at right now:
- HB 751, SUD certification (bill ensure patient protections and high-quality treatment by increasing state oversight of outpatient providers)
- SB 299, Recovery Housing (support health and safety of individuals in recovery housing by requiring houses to be certified by the state)
- SB 15, Mandatory Minimums (establishes mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related crimes).
- Federal Health Care changes:
- Medicaid Expansion Work Requirements
- Requires that most individuals on Medicaid Expansion work, volunteer or engage in job-search activities for at least 80 hours per month.
- Medicaid Cost-Shares
- Requires many individuals on Medicaid pay $60-$100 per month to their health care coverage.
- ACA Premium Tax Credits
- Expiration of federal tax credits means health insurance costs will rise by 75% or more for many Granite Staters, who receive their health insurance through the ACA marketplace.
- Medicaid Expansion Work Requirements
- New Futures can help organizations and individuals navigate the difference between advocacy and lobbying through education and training to increase awareness and participation.
- Storytelling can be much more powerful in legislation than data – New Futures needs advocates from the SUD field that can share their stories!
- To get in contact with Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy: [email protected] or visit www.new-futures.org.
Overdose Prevention Updates
General Updates/Information
- Treatment:
- The Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) clinic, located at 199 Manchester Street, lower level, will be formally closing its doors, effective Friday, December 12th. HCH will continue to offer services at 2 other clinic locations, Wilson Street Integrated Health (293 Wilson Street) and the HCH mobile medical van. The HCH mobile medical van will continue to offer services within close proximity to 199 Manchester Street, Manchester, on a regular basis. View the monthly HCH clinic schedule here.
- Senator Maggie Hassan launched a community survey to learn more about Granite Staters’ experiences with methadone clinics in New Hampshire. Individuals who have received treatment at NH methadone clinics or worked at one are invited to submit a survey. Click here to view the press release & access the survey.
- Recovery:
- The Recovery Gallery has moved to On the Road to Wellness on South Willow Street! If you are interested in hosting The Recovery Gallery in your space for 2026, please contact Janelle Havens at [email protected].
Action Plan
- Communication: Workgroups continued brainstorming communication strategies to increase collaboration among the continuum of care.
- Representation: Workgroups provided questions/concerns regarding public policy, legislation, and representation regarding substance use disorder. To be analyzed and summarized for January’s meeting.
What’s Next
- Save the date – the Manchester Continuum of Care’s Point-In-Time (PIT) Count is Wednesday, January 28th. Date & time to be announced. Volunteers are needed to help count individuals (training is required). If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Owen at [email protected].
- Next month’s meeting will be held virtually through Zoom. We are so excited to have a guest speaker from On the Road to Wellness & we will continue to work on our action plans further discussing communication and representation within the group.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 13th from 10am-11am, virtually via Zoom.
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