Bryan Randolph: New Hampshire is failing to support our social systems

To The Daily Sun,

People in our community and across New Hampshire are being failed by our social systems. As a licensed social worker, there is nothing more disheartening than hearing from community members in crisis who have sought support only to be turned away or given scant resources, or seeing them struggle due to health conditions — physical and mental — that could be treated if they had access to care.

I want to make this clear: the Granite Staters I work with are not looking for handouts. They are looking for a hand up — a chance to get back on their feet and navigate an economy that increasingly feels rigged against them. And, while it’s easy to feel frustrated with the agencies themselves, the real culprit is a Statehouse that continually cuts funding, leading to chronic understaffing and an ever-growing demand to do more with less.

New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services has been instructed to cut $51 million over the next 18 months. Removing social support from those who need it is harmful and can actually increase costs. For example, New Hampshire is already spending an estimated $130,000 per day on unnecessary hospitalizations for psychiatric patients who do not have aftercare support. While Gov. Kelly Ayotte and New Hampshire Republicans promise New Hampshire residents will not be negatively impacted, it is hard to believe these cuts won’t have catastrophic consequences.

Obviously, we need to spend money responsibly, but people are more than a line item on a budget. I believe we have a responsibility to take care of each other over providing even more tax cuts to wealthy corporations. If we want stronger communities and a healthier state, we need to invest in the systems that actually support people — not continue down a path that leaves them behind.

Bryan Randolph

Moultonborough