Catherine Ashcraft

I strongly urge the NH House to reject the proposed bill (1) directing the Department of Health and Human Services to dissolve the Office of Health Equity, (2) deleting that Office's unclassified director from state statute, (3) preventing the Department from using funds from any project identified as "health equity," and (4) preventing the Department of Environmental Services from using funds for any project labeled "civil rights and environmental justice." The proposed savings to the state general funds and federal funds are not worth the costs to human and environmental health that would result, the costs in lost capacity to administer federal funds and grants, and the resulting risk to obtaining future federal funds that are critical to the state fulfilling its responsibilities to steward natural resources held in trust to advance the public interest. Stewarding resources to foster health equity, civil rights and environmental justice is the right strategy for New Hampshire, not only because as a moral imperative or because doing so complies with the Civil Rights Act, but because doing so produces more efficient, effective and durable outcomes.