New Hampshire Public Health Association

02/11/2026

NH doulas can now get state certification and become eligible for Medicaid

Earlier this month, the state opened applications for its doula certification program.

02/10/2026

New Hampshire has "widespread" cases of Flu A and Flu B, according to dhhs.nh.gov. Here's the difference between the two:

Flu A can be caught by humans and animals and is considered to be more severe than Flu B, according to Prevention.com. You also have a greater risk of getting Flu A than Flu B.
Flu B is strictly a human illness.

Read More: Understanding The Current Flu Outbreak In New Hampshire | https://wblm.com/ixp/699/p/new-hampshire-flu-outbreak-high-virus/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

An official New Hampshire Government web site.

02/09/2026

Want to stay informed on what's changing with Medicaid in New Hampshire and how it affects you, your loved ones, or your work? -- Join NH Medicaid Matters for a webinar on Wednesday, February 18 from 7-8 pm! 🔗This free webinar will provide updates on the upcoming changes to Medicaid due to new state and federal laws.

Register Now: rebrand.ly/medicaidweb

02/09/2026

Lawmakers debate ending all childhood vaccination requirements in New Hampshire:

Medical professionals warned that repealing childhood vaccination requirements would threaten the foundation of public health.

"If enacted, this legislation would reduce childhood vaccine rates, weaken protections in schools, child care and communities, and diminish the department's ability to monitor immunizations and respond to outbreaks," said Megan Heddy, of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' Infectious Disease Prevention.

Dozens of lawmakers gathered in Concord on Wednesday to hear testimony on House Bill 1811, which would eliminate all vaccination requirements for children in New Hampshire.

02/06/2026

The United States no longer has a single, de facto childhood vaccine schedule.

A growing majority of states are breaking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) newly narrowed childhood vaccine schedule, turning instead to prior recommendations, state recommendations or those of medical societies like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

In the months since the Trump administration ordered federal officials to narrow the list of routine childhood immunizations, and in anticipation of that order, more than half the country has moved in the opposite direction.

As of Jan. 20, 2026, 28 states, including the District of Columbia, have announced they will not follow the CDC’s revised childhood vaccine recommendations for at least some shots, according to a new analysis from KFF.

A majority of states (including Washington, D.C.) are following pediatric groups, and/or prior or state recommendations, instead of new federal childhood vaccine guidance.

02/05/2026

As Governor Kelly Ayotte delivers her State of the State address on February 5, rising health care costs are front and center for families, employers, and communities across New Hampshire. In a just-published opinion piece in the New Hampshire Bulletin, Professor Lucy Hodder explains that affordability will not improve without deliberate, coordinated policy action.

Hodder—Director of Health and Life Sciences Law at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and Board of Contributors to the NH Health Cost Initiative—writes that “the health care system will not fix itself. We need accountability, transparency, and a long-term budget.” Her op-ed builds on themes recently explored at the UNH School of Law Health Law & Policy Symposium, Illuminating the Path: Equity and Affordability in Healthcare.

Before the State of the State Address, we examine rising health care costs, consolidation, private equity, and policy solutions to restore affordability in NH.

02/05/2026

When a sick child steps into Melissa Carter's mobile clinic they are met not by the sterile smell of a doctor's office but by books and toys, popsicles and walls decorated with rainbows.

Carter, a Salem-based nurse practitioner, launched To You Pediatrics in December, offering mobile pediatric urgent care to families across northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Operating out of a customized medical van, she brings care directly to patients' homes, a model she hopes will improve access to care while keeping children out of crowded emergency rooms.

"I really loved the idea of a mobile pediatric clinic where it was a safe and fun space for kids," Carter said. "I thought, instead of going into their space to swab them or do a minor laceration repair, it'd be nice to have a comfortable, neutral space for them to be in."

The van functions as a fully equipped clinic, with medical equipment, an examination table, a privacy curtain, open seating for parents, biohazard waste disposal and a refrigerator stocked with medications, like steroids and antibiotics.

A Salem-based nurse practitioner, launched To You Pediatrics in December, offering mobile pediatric urgent care to families across northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

02/04/2026

Latest data: 35 flu deaths so far this season in New Hampshire, including 2 children

Two New Hampshire children are among the 35 Granite Staters to die of flu-related illness this season, according to the latest data from state health officials.

02/04/2026

The New York Times
Physician Assistants Want a New Name and More Power. Not Everyone Is Happy

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/upshot/physician-assistants-doctors-role.html

02/03/2026

For years, the U.S. federal government participated in these calls, which are organized by the World Health Organization. Now, as the Trump administration says it has withdrawn from WHO over its handling of COVID, among other things, California is stepping in.

It is the first state to join WHO's Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network, also known as GOARN. Dr. Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health, says she's been in touch with other states hoping to follow suit. Illinois, in a press release, said it's "making preparations" to join.

"The Trump administration's withdrawal from WHO is a reckless decision that will hurt all Californians and Americans," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement. "California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring."

This move by states to take things into their own hands is part of a broader trend, according to Dr. Gavin Yamey, a professor of global health and public policy at Duke University.

"I think this is a very smart and savvy play," says Yamey. "The federal government has reneged on its public health protection responsibilities, and you're seeing states taking steps so they still are part of the international response to outbreaks and emerging threats."

In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from WHO, California is the first state to participate in the agency's disease monitoring network. Are others following?

02/02/2026

The Department has issued the following request for proposals: RFP-2027-DBH-08-PREVE: Prevention Direct Services. Find details at https://bit.ly/3NP39UY.

02/02/2026

Many Americans are expected to lose ACA or Medicaid coverage in coming months and years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the expiration of enhanced pandemic-era subsidies that helped people afford Obamacare plans. Doctors and researchers say there are still ways to find affordable c...