Nurses! Call to Action! Please reach out to your EC member today and ask them to reject the Ulliance contract for the PHP on consent agenda tomorrow.

Introductory Note from Medical Director, Molly Rossignol DO, FASAM: 
The New Hampshire Professionals Health Program (NHPHP) exists to help healthcare professionals address potentially impairing conditions such as mental health challenges, burnout, or substance use concerns to preserve the careers of those who serve our communities—while ensuring public safety. The NHPHP is required to participate in an RFP (Request for Proposal) process by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), the overseeing regulatory agency of the NHPHP. 

One of the competitors, Ulliance, an entity from out of state, was selected and is on the consent calendar agenda.  

For the following reasons, drafted by Cathryn Stratton, NH Medical Society, CEO, we support and prefer the current provider of this program, the NH Professionals Health Program (click to learn more).

1. Licensees fund the program. As professionals whose fees finance this service, we believe our voices—and those of our professional associations—must be included in decisions about the future of the PHP. We would support a modest additional fee to ensure that services remain local, confidential, and unconflicted.
2. Proven performance. For over twenty years, NHPHP has supported professionals, hospitals, licensing boards, and the public with discretion and effectiveness. It has provided dependable monitoring, high-quality care, and vital education while partnering vigilantly with regulatory bodies to protect the public.
3. Established trust. The NHPHP is a trusted resource for clinicians struggling with burnout, mental health concerns, and substance use disorders. Building this kind of trust takes years—something Ulliance would have to establish with at risk to professionals and public health.
4. Local presence matters. Relationships are at the heart of recovery and accountability. The NHPHP staff are available for in-person meetings with licensees, employers, and the licensing board. Ulliance has admitted that it would spend only limited time in New Hampshire, making it unlikely they could establish the relationships necessary for high-quality care and participation.
5. Full commitment to New Hampshire. Ulliance serves over 260 organizations across multiple states. It cannot give New Hampshire professionals the individualized attention they deserve. The scale of their operations suggests a “volume-based” approach ill-suited to the sensitive, personal work of a PHP.
6. Avoiding conflicts of interest. NHPHP is a nonprofit with a single mission: ensuring quality, confidential care for healthcare professionals. Unlike for-profit providers, NHPHP has no incentive to prioritize revenue over patient welfare. It does not upcharge for services or create conflicts through vendor relationships.
7. Resources – NHPHP has established connection and network of state Professionals Health Programs
8. Medical Professional focus – NHPHP staff and board members, by being local providers, have a heightened responsibility for the health and safety of NH’s medical professionals. Moving the program out of state and into the hands of providers who are not invested in the health of NH’s medical and clinical workforce effectively diminishes the quality of NH’s safety net. This will become an indicator of NH’s commitment to the healthcare workforce for physicians and nurses looking to move or continue their work in this state.
9. Confidentiality and data ownership. Under the current model, medical records, monitoring data, and psychiatric evaluations are securely held by the PHP. Transferring ownership of this highly sensitive data to the State would compromise trust and discourage professionals from seeking needed help. This will have a chilling effect on individuals who may voluntarily engage with the PHP. Voluntary assistance from the PHP is preventative care and vital to reaching potentially impaired professionals before there is patient harm.

Please reach out to your Executive Council member today by phone if possible or email and share your concerns.

Welcome | New Hampshire Executive Council (click to learn who your EC member is and their contact info)

Thank you for your advocacy! 

Carlene