Just weeks after the organization announced plans to shutter all but one of its offices because it was running out of money, Hope for New Hampshire recovery is in line for a new influx of cash from the state – pending a vote from the Executive Council.
A $600,000 contract toward Hope for New Hampshire Recovery’s “peer recovery support services” is listed alongside several other opioid-related items on next Wednesday’s Executive Council agenda.
The Hope for New Hampshire Recovery contract also includes a provision for an advance payment of $150,000, which the state says is necessary to help it stay afloat.
Hope for New Hampshire Recovery is one of several major support providers to recently announce plans to scale back their services in the wake of reduced public funding. The organization initially said it would shutter four centers – in Franklin, Concord, Claremont and Berlin – leaving only its original Manchester location.
Since then, some in Claremont have started to explore the possibility of partnering with other nearby medical providers in an effort to keep offering recovery services in that location.
The contract on the table before the Executive Council is targeted toward Hope for New Hampshire’s centers in Manchester, Franklin and Berlin.
In its paperwork outlining the rationale for contract, the Department of Health and Human Services issues a stark ultimatum about the importance of approving this new funding – citing the 485 drug overdose deaths recorded here last year.
“Should Governor and Executive Council not authorize this Request, two of the three centers will cease operations, leaving hundreds of individuals who rely on these services without access to peer recovery supports as they address their substance misuse at a time when the opioid epidemic is impacting individuals, families and communities across the state,” DHHS Division for Behavioral Health Director Katja Fox wrote.
The state suspended a previous contract with Hope for New Hampshire Recovery last year after an NHPR report detailed allegations of fiscal mismanagement and internal tensions at the organization.
An investigation by the Attorney General's office didn't turn up any criminal wrongdoing, but the state never ended up reinstating its funding.
Hope for New Hampshire Recovery is also undergoing a state audit, something the state says it’s undertaking for all addiction recovery and treatment providers, but the results haven't yet been published.
