Gov. Chris Sununu issued an emergency order Friday giving the state Liquor Commission’s retail employees a temporary 10% raise because of COVID-19 due to higher exposure risks than other state employees. While I’m still trying to understand why liquor stores are essential …
Please consider New Hampshire’s health care workers, New Hampshire citizens on the front lines of this epidemic who deliver care to those in need through a full spectrum of providers. Our hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, case management, home health care providers. The majority of these providers have not benefited from provider rate increases anywhere near 10% in the last 20 years.
These workers did not sign up for the risk they are taking. They did not sign up to work without adequate personal protective equipment. They did not sign up to work in a system that has been woefully inadequately staffed due to years of underfunding. But every day, the New Hampshire citizens who are the members of our health care teams show up to fight their part of this battle.
Many other states have requested and received waivers from CMS to increase provider rates. New Hampshire should do the same.
Maybe if the liquor stores closed we would not have needed an additional $600,000 for the domestic violence centers.
Stop ignoring the real heroes.
CAROLYN A. VIRTUE
Canterbury