NH Governor’s Commission Action Plan Dashboard

Our Goal

The Commission’s goal is to reduce the misuse of alcohol and other drugs across the lifespan through the implementation of effective programs, practices and policies.

This Action Plan dashboard tracks progress on four overarching objectives for accomplishing this goal over the period July 2022 to June 2027. The figure summarizes these four objectives from reducing the prevalence of alcohol and other drug misuse to reducing lives lost from substance misuse. Measures selected for this dashboard prioritize data from existing sources that are consistently reliable, accessible and available at a statewide level. The Commission is also working to incorporate measures that reflect a continuum of care, extending beyond crisis intervention or treatment outcomes to encompass a comprehensive, systemic perspective including prevention efforts, early intervention strategies, harm reduction initiatives, and long-term recovery support

Objective One – Reduce Lives Lost to Alcohol and Drug Use

The epidemic of addiction and drug overdose is a public health crisis touching every community in NH. Use of illicit opioids, particularly fentanyl, in combination with other substances, account for the vast majority of overdoses and deaths caused by overdose. NH has implemented multiple strategies to address this crisis including distribution of the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone widely to people who may use drugs, and their friends, and family members. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), drug overdose deaths increased in New Hampshire by about 17%. More recently a trend toward fewer drug overdose deaths has resumed with substantial progress occurring in 2024 when the fewest number of drug overdose deaths were reported since 2013.

In addition to the objective to reduce drug overdose deaths, the work of the Commission includes objectives for reducing deaths associated with acute and chronic alcohol misuse. In 2023, 54 deaths due to alcohol-related overdose were recorded among NH residents and 228 deaths due to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, which are conditions that can be associated with chronic alcohol misuse.

Our objective targets for 2027 include:

• • 1.1: Decrease the number of drug overdose deaths by 15%.
  • 1.2a: Decrease the rate of alcohol-related overdose deaths by 15%.
  • 1.2b: Decrease the rate of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis deaths by 15%.

Data source: NH Office of Chief Medical Examiner, as reported on the Drug Monitoring Initiative Report. Data for 2023 are estimates due to pending toxicology reports. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

Our objective targets for 2027 include:

• 2.1: Decrease the number of EMS cases resulting from drug overdose / misuse of medications by 15%.

• 2.2: Decrease the number of EMS cases resulting from alcohol misuse and effects by 10%.

*Important Note – *Data collection criteria for opioid-related ED visits changed in 2020. Data prior to 2020 is not shown because it is not comparable to more recent data.
**Represents partial-year data

Data sources: For EMS Provider Impressions: NH Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, Trauma and Emergency Medical Services Information System, as of September 2023. For Opioid ED Visits: Drug Monitoring Initiative, July 2023 data. Overdose numbers after August 8th, 2023 are under-reported because complete EMS records were not submitted for Nashua & Manchester.

Significant progress has been made to increase access to substance use services and supports in NH including:

• The Doorway system, providing access to screening, assessment, and referral to services, is available throughout the state;
• Availability of telehealth has been expanded substantially;
• Access to and utilization of Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) has increased significantly throughout NH;
• Recovery Community Organizations have expanded Recovery Centers throughout NH;
• Recovery Friendly Workplace has continued and expanded; and
• Substance use treatment availability has expanded in multiple settings.

Our objective targets for 2027 include:

• Increase the percentage of individuals ages 13+ who initiate substance use treatment within 14 days of a new SUD diagnosis by 10%.

• 3.2: Increase the number of individuals engaged by Recovery Community Organizations in Peer Recovery Support Services by 10%.

• 3.3: Decrease the number of NH residents ages 12+ who report needing, but not receiving treatment by 10%.

Important Note – This section compares the rates of substance use disorder services across the Medicaid and commercially insured populations. Rates are calculated by dividing the number of unique individuals receiving services for a given time period by the number of individuals aged 18-64 who were insured in the same time period.

Data sources: Health and Human Services Data Portal, Quarters 1 and 2 data for service rate comparisons. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2019-2020, State-Specific Tables of Model-Based Estimates for estimates of individuals needing but not receiving treatment. State-level data for 2021 and 2022 are not yet available, as of September 2022.

Objective Four – Reduce Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse Across the Lifespan

Reduction of alcohol and other drug misuse and consequences on the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities requires comprehensive, effective prevention of the initiation of misuse and intervention with problematic use across the lifespan.

Our objective targets for 2027 include:

• 4.1: Decrease the prevalence of NH residents ages 12+ who report current binge alcohol use by 5%.

• 4.2: Decrease the prevalence of NH residents ages 12+ who report recent illicit drug use other than marijuana by 0.5%.

• 4.3: Increase the prevalence of high school students who most of the time or always get the kind of help they need among students who report having felt sad, empty, hopeless, angry, or anxious by 5%.

  Data source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2019-2020 State-Specific Tables of Model-Based Prevalence Estimates. State-level data for 2021 and 2022 not yet available, as of September 2022.

Data source: NH Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Online, last accessed September 2022. Data is collected in odd numbered years. NH data was collected in the fall of 2021, due to COVID-19, and those data will be available later in 2022.

Data source: The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was completed by 13,710 students in 72 public high schools in NH during the spring of 2019. The school response rate was 89%, the students response rate was 84%, and the overall response rate was 75%. The results are representative of all students in grades 9-12.

Publicly Available NH Data related to Alcohol and other Drugs

More data related to alcohol and other drugs services and impacts in NH is publicly available now than ever before. Additional data is available through the NH Department of Health and Human Services Data Portal and NH Medicaid Quality Behavioral Health Care metrics, the NH Department of Safety Drug Monitoring Initiative, NH Department of Education Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results, and the US Center for Disease Control, Overdose Data to Action Dashboard.