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Concord, N.H. - Last week, the Keene Sentinel reported that two Cheshire County substance use disorder centers may be forced to shut down because of a budget shortfall. In a statement, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Service spokesman Jake Leon said that in Governor Sununu's 2018-2019 budget, "overall funding for SUD services is less than in the previous budget." In May, the chair of the Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Tym Rourke said that Sununu's underfunding could hurt the opioid fight. NHDP Chair Ray Buckley issued the following statement: "In the midst of an opioid crisis, it's shameful that Governor Sununu's underfunded effort on opioids could lead to the closing of critical substance use disorder centers. Sununu and the Republican legislature chose not to fully fund the alcohol fund, instead opting for a corporate tax cut of over $100 million going to the wealthiest 3% of New Hampshire businesses. Even Sununu's own Department of Health and Human Services say they saw a drop in funding from the last budget. Rather than sharpening our focus on a growing national crisis that most Granite Staters identify as the top issue, Governor Sununu is giving the wealthy a tax break."
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