NH State Representative Steven Smith

June 29 – It is not normal

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Sorry, not sorry

The pandemic is not over, but an awful lot of people think it is. While I am glad for the positive attitudes, we should not want to end up like Florida. I have seen people in the area going about their summers as though nothing had changed, a dozen cars (some from out of state) packed into driveways as people travel and gather. Traveling and gathering is how you spread a virus. Look at the map of cumulative cases and see how it is even spreading into the wilds of Coos County now. As tourists ignore warnings and travel from Connecticut to the White Mountains, it could escalate. Please, do what you can to minimize the spread so that we can minimize the regulations. ~ Steve

NH reports 82 new cases of COVID-19 over weekend, two deaths

https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/nh-reports-82-new-cases-of-covid-19-over-weekend-two-deaths/article_0e93cf66-a233-5586-88f7-b412b8604147.html

Lawmakers, Secretary of State seek to iron out COVID-19 absentee ballot process

https://www.concordmonitor.com/Lawmakers-Secretary-of-State-seek-to-iron-out-COVID-19-absentee-ballot-process-34885342

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – June 28, 2020

On Sunday, June 28, 2020, DHHS announced 31 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 5,747 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are two individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults, with 61% being female and 39% being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (5), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Carroll (1), Grafton (1), and Strafford (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (14) and Nashua (5).

Hospitalizations

Three new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 565 (10%) of 5,747 cases.

Community Based Transmission

Four of the new cases had no identified risk factors.

Deaths

No additional COVID-19 deaths reported by DHHS.

Cumulative Positive Tests by County

Belknap 81
Carroll 54
Cheshire 67
Coos 6
Grafton 84
Hillsborough – Other 1,112
Hillsborough – Manchester 1525
Hillsborough – Nashua 617
Merrimack 407
Rockingham 1470
Strafford 291
Sullivan 31
County TBD 2

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report

(data updated June 28, 2020, 9:00 AM)

NH Persons with COVID-191 5,747

Recovered 4,412 (77%)
Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 367 (6%)
Total Current COVID-19 Cases 968
Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 565 (10%)
Current Hospitalizations 37

Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories,

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 117,330
Total Persons Tested at Selected Laboratories, Antibody
Laboratory Tests 18,980
Persons with Specimens Submitted to NH PHL 31,854
Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL 420
Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 3,500

Number of Specimens Tested by Date of Report to NH DHHS

Information above, and archived daily updates are available here: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/news/updates.ht

Regional Information (total positive test results, deaths)

Look-back period is 1 week.

NH: 5,747 positive test results 367 deaths (1 week ago: 5,544 positive test results 339 deaths) (+203/+28)

MA: 108,667 positive test results 8060 deaths (1 week ago: 107,061 positive test results 7857 deaths) (+1606/+203)

ME: 3,191 positive test results 104 deaths (1 week ago: 2,957 positive test results 102 deaths)

VT: 1,202 positive test results 56 deaths (1 week ago: 1,159 positive test results 56 deaths)

CT: 46,303 positive test results 4,316 deaths (1 week ago: 45,755 positive test results 4,260 deaths)

RI: 16,661 positive test results 927 deaths (1 week ago: 16,337 positive test results 894 deaths)

NY: 397,293 positive test results 31,137 deaths (1 week ago: 392,702 positive test results 30,884 deaths) (+4,591/+253)

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June 27 County Budget and Weekend Update

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

County News

On Monday, the Sullivan County Delegation will vote on the next county budget. There was no controversy this cycle.The staff, Commissioners, and County Manager recognize that these are uncertain times. No one can accurately predict what the economic picture will be next year. Consequently, we are looking at a level funded budget. There are no raises in elected official salaries, no increased programs. You’ll see that the Sheriff may have some new cars soon. This money came from a reserve fund and there is no budget impact. Sheriff Simonds found a Sullivan County vendor to give us a great deal on replacing the units that are pushing 100,000 miles hard. He also gave us a proposal that did not ask for any extra money. A couple of the current cars will have to last a little longer. In general, the county government runs a pretty lean operation and we are grateful for that.

The Sullivan County Delegations’ FY21 County Convention will take place on Monday, June 29, 2020, 6:00 p.m. at the Sullivan County Administration Building, 14 Main Street – 3rd Floor Probate Courtroom, Newport, NH, 03773.

This meeting will also be held via Zoom. Limited seating is available (8-10 chairs) and we encourage the general public to join the Zoom webinar. You may access the conference using:

Zoom Phone: 1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 922 2142 0396
Password: 450681

We will also be live streaming this through the Sullivan County New Hampshire Government Facebook page.

Feel free to contact our office at 863-2560 or via email at commissioners@sullivancountynh.gov for help accessing any documents or joining the virtual meeting.

Homeowners Firewood Program

On occasion, Sullivan County may enroll designated areas of County lands in Unity, NH, into the Sullivan County Homeowners Firewood Program.

About the Program (PDF)

Prescription Discount Card

For a list of participating Pharmacies, plan details and to print a card please visit the National Association of Counties Free Prescription Discount Program website; or call 1-877-321-2652

Free Enrollment

Average Savings of 20 percent
No Limits
No age requirements – you do not need to be a Medicare beneficiary to enroll
No income requirements
Family coverage
Use it anytime your prescription is not covered by insurance

You may pick up a card at the

Sullivan County Commissioners Office 14 Main Street Newport NH
Sullivan County Unity Complex, Health Care Facility 5 Nursing Home Drive Unity NH
Your town clerks office
Claremont City Hall

Sullivan County Press Release about discount card program

Sullivan County Sober Housing

Sullivan County is working on a project to establish a sober housing facility in Claremont. This facility will fill a critical gap for people in substance use recovery by providing safe, clean, and affordable housing so residents can continue working on their sobriety and working in new jobs in a structured, supportive environment. This proposal is still being developed and has not been officially approved. The County will continue coordinating with the City of Claremont, property abutters, and the community to educate, inform, and solicit feed back on the project.

The links below contain more information about the project.

The Frequently Asked Questions document provides answers to many of the questions that have been asked on social media and at the County’s previous community engagement forum.

Sullivan County Calendar

http://www.sullivancountynh.gov/Calendar.aspx

What We Love About Sullivan County, New Hampshire

This is a map of the cool things that exist in our county. You can add places that are missing. Sullivan County Map of Attractions

Click to access covid-19-update-06262020.pdf

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June 26 – Grants for Self Employed

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Rep. Steven Smith

Self-employed firms can soon seek COVID-19 grants

5ef514c598258.image CONCORD — Starting after the Fourth of July holiday weekend, self-employed Granite Staters will be able to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to cover losses from COVID-19, Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday.

The state has not identified how much these workers will receive, but Sununu said the Main Street Relief Fund did not spend $62 million of its $400 million allotment.

When the Main Street program received more than 5,000 applications from companies who weren’t eligible for grants, Sununu said he decided a separate program was appropriate.

“This is a need we have identified through the process, and it’s important to see that these so-called mom and pop businesses can get some help,” Sununu said. Read more at Union Leader

10 more COVID-19 deaths, 40 new cases in NH

https://www.wmur.com/article/10-more-covid-19-deaths-40-new-cases-in-nh/32972625

Gov. Sununu answers questions about state’s COVID-19 response

https://www.wmur.com/article/q-and-a-new-hampshire-coronavirus-june-25-2020/32969626

Fund created to help self-employed; fans allowed at NASCAR

https://apnews.com/98743b3ef2f92f473bf7ddf5da65b211

Summer camp leaders warn of ‘survival-level dire situation’

https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/summer-camp-leaders-warn-of-survival-level-dire-situation/article_fb9dee53-deab-5c1a-877b-ee9f8478d9bd.html?block_id=897573

NH DHHS COVID-19 Update – June 25, 2020

On Thursday, June 25, 2020, DHHS announced 40 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 5,638 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, there are three individuals under the age of 18 and the rest are adults, with 67% being female and 33% being male. The new cases reside in Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (9), Rockingham (7), Grafton (3), Strafford (2), Sullivan (2), Carroll (1), and Merrimack (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (14) and Nashua (1).