New Hampshire

At a Glance

State Population: 1,395,231
Local Health Departments: 2
Frequent Public Health Emergencies: Flooding, Environmental Contamination, Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Key Emergency Operations Center Activations:
2020 – COVID-19 Pandemic
CDC PHEP Funding:
FY 2022: $5,663,127
FY 2021: $5,345,470
FY 2020: $5,280,301
Public Health Crisis Response Funding:
Mpox 2023 funding: $218,950
COVID-19 2021 funding: $8,952,425
COVID-19 2020 funding: $4,902,840

PHEP-Funded Staff (rounded):

Epidemiologists: 1
Laboratorians: 6
Nurses: 3
Planners: 5
Other: 12*

*Includes IT specialists, administrative staff, statisticians, and other positions

Top 5 Preparedness Investments

Public Health Laboratory Testing
Community Preparedness
Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation
Information Sharing
Emergency Operations Coordination

Stories from the Field

CDC PFA Leads New Hampshire COVID-19 Case Investigation Efforts

Elizabeth Kroessler, a PHEP-funded preparedness field assignee, led the state health department team that investigated every COVID-19 case in New Hampshire in 2020. She also helped implement new contact tracing software. Investigations often were very complex. For example, one wrestling tournament resulted in 105 cases in five northeastern states. Another outbreak in a corrections facility resulted in 680 positive cases. Kroessler also developed protocols for prioritizing investigations and implementing safety practices focusing on populations at higher risk of COVID-19, residential facilities, and areas with a higher risk of community transmission.

Providing Access to Naloxone Kits

Opioids—prescription and illicit—are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. In 2016, New Hampshire had the third highest rate of drug overdose deaths of any U.S. state. To identify the hardest hit communities, the state health department uses PHEP funding to help track emergency department and treatment center visits. PHEP also supports the distribution of naloxone kits. Naloxone is an antidote to prevent death from opioid overdose. As of November 2018, New Hampshire has distributed more than 22,000 life-saving naloxone kits to people and families affected by opioid addiction.