Everyone in NH deserves a fair opportunity for health

New Hampshire is one of the healthiest states in the country, but not everyone who lives here has a fair opportunity to achieve their full health potential.

The Health and Equity in NH: 2013 Report Card produced by New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies documented the existence of serious health inequities in our state. These inequities unfairly and disproportionately affect communities of color.

Achieving a fair opportunity for health for all of New Hampshire’s people requires understanding why some people in our communities experience unfair differences in health status. 

A 2014 Environmental Justice in NH report, written by Tom Irwin, NH Director of the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), outlines some of these same issues. Arnold Mikolo, Environmental Justice Advocate at CLF, is working with the Manchester community to examine these issues, help EJ take root and create a statewide Environmental Justice movement.

The Endowment recognizes that the root causes of the unfair differences in health are deep, the solutions are varied, and change takes time. As a foundation, we work to advance health equity by supporting the field of stakeholders to widen understanding of why equity matters in all aspects of health at every stage of life. 

For more information, check out the three videos below:  the first highlights environmental justice work in New Hampshire; the second introduces A New Granite State, an aspirational poem by Atlas the poet; and the third highlights newcomers and long-term residents working together to shape a vision for their future in New Hampshire.   

Our Strategic Grants are identified in partnership with key stakeholders. Interested applicants should contact Melina Hill Walker for more information.