Trump’s cuts to federal funding draw concern from New Hampshire health advocates

The Foundation for Healthy Communities is among the ones in New Hampshire to feel the effects of a sweeping federal decision under President Donald Trump to revoke billions in unspent pandemic relief funds from state and local governments.

For New Hampshire, the move means the loss of $80 million in federal funding — money that had been supporting critical public health initiatives across the state, like mental health, substance abuse and vaccination programs

Peter Ames, executive director of the Concord-based foundation, said the non-profit organization was forced to immediately shut down its vaccine outreach program, which was created to dispel misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines but evolved to include education and access efforts around flu and other routine vaccinations.

“This immediate shut-off was really disruptive and inefficient,” said Ames. “All people deserve access to good information when they’re making decisions for their family.”

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen met with public health leaders in Concord to address the effects of recent funding cuts on services in New Hampshire, criticizing the federal government’s decision to withdraw the funding without notice.

“I think the goal of Elon Musk and the administration is chaos,” said Shaheen. “This has been done, I believe, deliberately to create so much confusion that it’s hard for people to figure out what to do in response.”

Most medical providers and organizations in the state are still uncertain about the full impact of these funding cuts on their programs and are scrambling to find ways to mitigate the effects.

Sarah Gagnon, the vice president for clinical operations at Riverbend, a community mental health center in Concord, expressed concern over the ongoing uncertainty. The lack of clarity makes it especially challenging, given the already pressing need for increased mental health investment in New Hampshire, she said.

“We’re already running such lean programs right now, and the department has helped us keep those programs going,” said Gagnon.

She also noted that the cuts could potentially undo much of the progress made through Mission Zero, a state initiative with support from community organizations aimed at ending the practice of emergency boarding for individuals with acute psychiatric care needs.

“You will start to see how this snowballs,” said Gagnon. “The emergency departments are going to fill back up with people who don’t have Medicaid and can to get their medication.”

New Hampshire’s healthcare workforce is also expected to take a hit due to the $80 million in federal funding that was taken back because it went unspent.

Paula Smith, director at the Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center, said that with the funding being withdrawn, healthcare providers have also been forced to change language and messaging on their platform to comply with the Trump administration’s directive to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies to avoid potential backlash.

“This doesn’t feel great, because this is my value and and yet in order to keep not having a red flag or whatever, I need to do these things,” said Smith.

Shaheen said she plans to advocate strongly to her colleagues in Washington, D.C., about the real-world impact of these cuts on health care, provider s and workers across New Hampshire. She added that confusion over the scope and consequences of the cuts isn’t limited to one side of the aisle.

“I think that was the goal, to keep people off balance, people uncertain, and it has a huge impact on morale, on the anxiety that people are feeling, not to mention the actual results at the fallout,” said Shaheen. “The only thing that’s going to change is when we are being able to build some coalitions with our Republican colleagues.”