Family members and leaders from Concord Hospital-Laconia, Hope on Haven Hill, Raymond Coalition for Youth, and Harbor Care share insight into the Alcohol Fund at a roundtable discussion on May 13. (Courtesy photo)
On Friday, May 13, leading substance use professionals, advocates and family members from around New Hampshire gathered to discuss the harmful impacts that changes included in the state budget proposal could have on prevention, treatment and recovery programs across the Granite State.
The budget proposal, which passed the House of Representatives last month and is now under consideration in the State Senate, includes a provision proposing to switch the funding source for New Hampshire’s Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund (the Alcohol Fund), which providers fear could severely restrict the use of these needed dollars.
The fund, which provides critical support to prevention, treatment, recovery and other programs across the state, is required by law to be funded with 5% of gross profits from the sale of liquor sales. However, under the House-passed budget proposal, the Alcohol Fund would instead be backfilled through the state’s Opioid Abatement Fund, which would restrict the funding to programs addressing opioid use only.
“The proposed shift in how the Governor’s commission is funded eliminates the state’s ability to meet the needs of citizens struggling with alcohol, stimulant and other non-opioid substances,” said Kate Frey, vice president of advocacy at New Futures, New Hampshire’s leading health policy and advocacy organization. “More than half of the Governor’s commission contracts support non-opioid prevention, treatment and recovery services.”
At Friday’s discussion, family members and leaders from Concord Hospital-Laconia, Hope on Haven Hill, Raymond Coalition for Youth, and Harbor Care emphasized the critical role of the Alcohol Fund and warned about the severe impact the proposed funding change would have on prevention, treatment and recovery programs across the state.
Since it was established in 2003, the Alcohol Fund has proven to be an innovative, fiscally responsible approach to addressing substance misuse in New Hampshire. It currently supports dozens of essential programs spanning prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery from opioid, alcohol and other substance use disorders under the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
By restricting use of the Alcohol Fund dollars to opioid-related programs only, the House-passed budget could sacrifice much of the $10.7 million the Governor’s Commission awards each year to programs across New Hampshire, which have been structured to address all ranges of substance use disorders.
“We’ve worked really hard to make sure the people of New Hampshire know there’s no wrong door — just come and ask for help,” said Corey Gately, director of substance use services for Concord Hospital-Laconia, who noted that nearly 25% of the patients served by the hospital’s Doorway program are seeking help for alcohol use.
If the budget passes as it stands, “Immediately we’d be saying, ‘oh, sorry, wrong door,’” Gately said.
“It would be really scary to see this funding go away or be restricted to opioid abatement,” added Beth O’Dell, clinical director at Hope on Haven Hill, a Rochester-based treatment and recovery organization that serves pregnant, postpartum and parenting women. Approximately 25% had an identified alcohol use disorder, and approximately 64% were diagnosed with a substance use disorder other than opioid use disorder.
Boosted by Alcohol Fund dollars, New Hampshire has worked over the past 10 years to build a robust network of recovery organizations. Harbor Care, which serves as the recovery network’s facilitating organization, today utilizes Alcohol Fund dollars to provide technical assistance to the network, helping recovery organizations with setup, technology, training, and more.
“When we look at the impact of losing Governor’s Commission Funds, we anticipate that of the 21 recovery centers, less than 10 would remain open,” said Cheryle Pacapelli, program director at Harbor Care. “That would be a huge impact.”
Celeste Clark, the executive director for Raymond Coalition for Youth, noted that the most cost-effective way to address substance misuse is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Her organization utilizes Alcohol Fund dollars for prevention programming for all substances, including youth vaping.
Clark said the student assistance counselors are seeing children as young as fourth grade begin to experiment with vaping.
“If it’s in the (middle school) building, kids are experimenting,” said Clark. “Prevention really needs a voice right now. Kids are experiencing the devastation that comes with these substances. The Alcohol Fund funding the student assistance program helps us to meet and stop (substance use) before it even happens.”
No one knows the impact of alcohol use disorder more than Marie Kiely, a New Hampshire parent who lost her adult son Ben to the disease 16 months ago.
“I believe my son would be alive today if he had received evidence-based treatment, which we weren’t even aware of. In fact, fewer than 2% of people with alcohol use disorder receive the proven-effective medication-assisted treatment, and fewer than 10% receive any treatment at all. If funding for alcohol treatment is eliminated, this problem will only worsen.”
