NH Healthy Families starts new programs to battle opioid crisis

Aug. 22--Keene's hospital is among the health centers receiving free overdose-reversing drugs to distribute to people in the community.

N.H. Healthy Families is shipping more than 200 atomizers that use the liquid form of naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, to 10 centers across the state, including Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene.

The atomizers allow people to administer naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, as a nasal mist that's easier to use than a needle injection, according to a news release from N.H. Healthy Families. The aim is to make it more likely that people in danger of overdosing can get immediate help, the organization said.

N.H. Healthy Families is a health insurance company for N.H. residents with Medicaid. It's also launching a new service to help its members who need immediate help for addictions.

The Provider Resource Line is a way for health care providers to connect with addiction treatment experts, get advice on what options are available, and create referrals directly to addiction treatment providers while a member is at the doctor's office. "The goal is for the member to leave the office with their next steps clearly identified to get the treatment they need," according to the news release.

The new programs are intended to bolster efforts to reduce drug addiction among N.H. Healthy Families members, including limiting the prescriptions of opioid painkillers and making treatment available faster by lifting the need for advanced authorizations on related treatment for Medicaid recipients, according to the news release.

Besides Cheshire Medical Center, the other centers receiving atomizers are Coos County Family Health Services in Berlin and Gorham; Dartmouth-Hitchcock centers in Hudson, Nashua, Milford and Merrimack; Families First Health and Support Center in Portsmouth; Harbor Homes in Nashua; HealthFirst Family Health Center in Franklin; Manchester Community Health Center; Lamprey Health Care Centers in Nashua, Newmarket and Raymond; Goodwin Community Health Center in Somersworth; and Foundation Medical Partners, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.

Callie Ginter can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1409 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @CGinterKS.

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