By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD — The fifth and final contract, this one for mental health, for the Governor’s Office of New Opportunities & Rural Transformational Health – also known as the GO-NORTH program – was approved Wednesday on a 3-2 vote.
GO-NORTH is a major part of the program created by Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte after the state received a five-year grant in competitively awarded federal money. The grant award is the largest in New England from the federal government to improve rural health.
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The hub grant is a $21.6 million, sole-source contract with the NH Community Behavioral Health Association of Concord.
The council temporarily tabled discussion on the contract to receive more information before voting to support it in a meeting that lasted six hours.
On March 16, the council approved contracts for the Community College System of New Hampshire, the University System of NH, the Community Development Finance Authority and the Foundation for Healthy Communities. Those are the other “hubs.”
The grant will provide federal money for things like a new nursing home in Colebrook for Coos County, new initiatives to educate paraprofessionals for health-care needs, better transportation for patients to attend doctor visits and improved telehealth.
GO-NORTH Director Donnalee Lozeau said March 16 that while these were noncompetitive, sole-source contracts, going forward all grants that are noncompetitive will require a council vote. The rest will be handled by a competitive bidding process.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield, said the council gave up some control and that has been hard to accept.
“At the end of the day, I am concerned about the taxpayer,” Kenney said.
He said he wanted all the money to be invested in his district in Coos County and the other nine counties would have to wait, because he thinks the need is mostly there.
“I represent this entire state, and I want nothing more than to do this well, but make sure we are delivering,” Ayotte said.
While the last meeting focused on contracts for health care, Ayotte said she doubted there was a person in the room who has not been directly or indirectly impacted by a mental health concern, and it is important to address.
“We need to keep that award and we need to build on it (over the next five years),” Ayotte said. “Now is the time to start strengthening our community mental health care centers.”
Councilor Stevens said when for-profit providers dropped out in her district, community mental health centers established rapid response.
“Uncompensated care is not going away,” she said. The grants are “transformative.”
An overview of the annual $204 million GO-NORTH program can be found at www.gonorth.nh.gov/.
Executive Councilor John Stephen, R-Manchester, expressed concerns over the grant funds going in this direction, and asked whether state employees could do the work and get the money out faster.
Lori Weaver, commissioner of Health and Human Services, said she has a vacancy rate of 22 percent, and Denis Goulet, who leads Information Technology, said his vacancy rate is even higher.
The state has a deadline to report to the feds by August and Ayotte said time is of the essence.
All 10 community health-care centers will work as one in this program.
Helms & Co. will be contracting as part of this grant, Attorney General John Formella said.
He said it is a unique structure but does not see it as a conflict of interest.
Formella said there will be controls and there will be council oversight.
Helms & Co. was unanimously chosen by the 10-member association, according to David A. Chorney, state deputy Medicaid director, who is working on GO-NORTH.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, said the state has to move forward with the contract now. Hill and Executive Councilors Janet Stevens, R-Rye, and Kenney voted to support the contract.
Voting in opposition of the contract were Executive Councilors David Wheeler, R-Milford, and Stephen.