The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has received nearly $4.6 million in federal grant funding to support the State’s Community Re-Entry and Youth Re-Entry programs over the next four years. The funding will help ensure continuity of health care for incarcerated adults and committed youth eligible for Medicaid as they transition back into the community. These programs provide critical health services, behavioral health support, and care management to reduce recidivism, improve public safety, and enhance health outcomes.
The adult Community Re-Entry program offers targeted health services during the 45 days prior to an inmate’s release from state correctional facilities, while Youth Re-Entry provides Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Testing services to Medicaid-eligible youth up to age 21 during the 30 days before and after release from the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC). Services are also available for former foster youth up to age 26. Both programs integrate care management through the State’s Medicaid Managed Care Organizations and have already served more than 100 individuals since launching on January 1.
The grant will fund a range of enhancements, including the purchase of telehealth equipment and iPads, construction of 16 secure telehealth booths, electronic health record upgrades, staff training on Medicaid eligibility and enrollment, help desk support for insurance navigation, and funding for dedicated DHHS employees and contractors to implement and monitor the programs. In addition, DHHS will expand Community Re-Entry services to New Hampshire’s ten county correctional facilities, allowing a broader population of adults and youth with urgent behavioral health needs to access care.
The adult program builds on a five-year extension of New Hampshire’s Section 1115(a) Demonstration waiver, which allows Medicaid coverage for eligible incarcerated individuals to increase access to treatment and reduce recidivism. Youth Re-Entry is federally mandated under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (2021) Section 5121. Both initiatives are part of DHHS’s Roadmap 2024-2025, under the “Promote Thriving Communities” strategic commitment, and are fully supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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