13 hours ago
CONCORD, N.H. —
The New Hampshire Executive Council is advancing the GO-NORTH rural health care initiative. On Monday, Governor Kelly Ayotte and all five Executive Council members approved over $640 million in federal funding to support rural health care projects across the state through the new GO-NORTH program.
"We want to improve health care outcomes in this state, especially in our more rural areas," Ayotte said.
The funding focuses on improving access to care for rural patients, developing the rural health care workforce, and promoting technology and innovation.
"Innovation is critical here. Whatever we see in the implementation, we want to see innovation," said Executive Councilor John Stephen.
The plan also includes a bricks-and-mortar component, such as upgrades to county nursing homes, including the facility in Coos County.
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"Mark Brady came to our roundtable and said, 'You know, we don't have a nursing home that's been modernized, it's 100 years old, it's dilapidated.' The residents, really, while the quality of the care is good, the facility is just terrible," said Executive Councilor Joe Kenney.
While officials believe the funding could bring meaningful improvements, Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill noted it will not fully cover the gap caused by Medicaid cuts.
"Part of the reason we have to transform is because we are losing over $2 billion," Liot Hill said.
A persistent challenge in rural areas has been maternity care deserts. Some funds will expand training access by bringing learning opportunities directly into rural communities through a mobile training unit.
"It can go right into the community, whether it's a library, a community center, to our EMS providers, and then they can actually learn in real time with cutting-edge technology: mannequins, virtual reality simulation to actually figure out, OK, now we are prepared," said Kirsten Corazzini, dean and professor of nursing at the University of New Hampshire.
