NH Public Radio – December 18, 2024
By JOSH ROGERS
Dartmouth Health is now poised to run the state’s psychiatric hospital for children in Hampstead, after receiving a key vote of approval from the Executive Council Wednesday. Under the deal, approved in a 4-1 vote, Dartmouth will assume operational control over Hampstead Hospital July 1.
The deal has been championed by Gov. Chris Sununu and the state’s top health officials as a major step in addressing New Hampshire’s long-standing shortage of inpatient treatment options for people under 18. Sununu described Dartmouth Health as an ideal partner due to its clinical expertise, in-state location and financial resources.
“This is our team; I think that’s one of the best parts of this,” Sununu said, before the vote.
The Executive Council had tabled the deal earlier this month amid concern it might cost jobs for current workers at the hospital. Still, councilors raised fresh concerns ahead of Wednesday’s vote, including over whether Dartmouth Health would be required to prioritize treating patients from New Hampshire, and whether the deal should force it to maintain a minimum number of inpatient beds.
“It’s a hard-baked contract in my opinion,” Democratic Councilor Cinde Warmington, a lawyer with a long background in health care contracting, said. “It just doesn’t have the teeth in it.”
Morissa Henn, deputy commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, said Dartmouth Health would ultimately be obligated to prioritize treatment of New Hampshire children and said mandating a bed threshold ran counter to best treatment practices. “It’s a very multi-layered conversation about the number of beds that is right,” Henn said. “What we know is we need to give a provider like Dartmouth Health the authority to bring their expertise to bear when it comes to helping us resource in the right places.”