Five

A RESOLUTION recognizing the essential contributions of frontline health workers in assisting the state to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and urging greater attention and support for local frontline health workers.

Whereas, frontline health workers are a critical and cost-effective component to building New Hampshire resilience and the capacity to save lives, foster inclusive economic growth, develop a strong primary health care system that delivers essential life-saving services, and prevent and respond to humanitarian crises and local health security threats from infectious diseases; and

Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the New Hampshire economy and caused significant economic losses; and

Whereas, a shortage of available health workers was the largest constraint to ensuring the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to service disruptions and gaps in care; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are leaving the profession at alarming rates due to being overburdened and high levels of burnout; and

Whereas, frontline health workers include a range of occupations who work for salaries, stipends, nonmonetary incentives, or on a volunteer basis, including emergency services personnel, community health workers, midwives and other perinatal health workers, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and surgeons; and

Whereas, communities with healthy populations are more likely to be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, while communities with poorer health are more prone to instability, conflict, and extremism; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are particularly crucial during natural or complex emergency situations to saving lives and aiding communities to recover, rebuild, and become more resilient; and

Whereas, health workers provide lifesaving care at great personal risk in fragile settings and during disease outbreaks, such as the between 80,000 to 180,000 health and care workers estimated to have died from COVID-19 globally in the period between January 2020 to May 2021; and

Whereas, access to a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported frontline health workforce is critical to reversing lost gains from COVID-19; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are a trusted workforce who are the first, and often only, link to health services for people living in low- and middle-income areas and provide services where they are most needed, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas; and

Whereas, partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector in adequately training, equipping, compensating, protecting, and supporting frontline health workers help New Hampshire achieve progress toward local health goals; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the House of Representatives:

I. Reaffirms the central role of local frontline health workforces in achieving the objectives of state health programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies, as well as multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and private sector organizations supported by the state of New Hampshire;

II. Acknowledges that in the aftermath of natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflicts, frontline health workers perform critical services under difficult working conditions, often at great personal risk, to save the lives of those without adequate access to medicines, equipment, or safe water and sanitation;

III. Urges greater attention and support for local frontline health workers to ensure their protection and ability to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health crises, including with adequate personal protective equipment and other essential health product supplies to guard against disease, and protection of frontline health workers; and

IV. Gives affirmative recognition, acknowledgment, and appreciation to New Hampshire's frontline health workforces for their noble and valiant efforts every day, the sacrifices they and their families made personally, and most especially on the days, weeks, months, and years in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five

A RESOLUTION recognizing the essential contributions of frontline health workers in assisting the state to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and urging greater attention and support for local frontline health workers.

Whereas, frontline health workers are a critical and cost-effective component to building New Hampshire resilience and the capacity to save lives, foster inclusive economic growth, develop a strong primary health care system that delivers essential life-saving services, and prevent and respond to humanitarian crises and local health security threats from infectious diseases; and

Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the New Hampshire economy and caused significant economic losses; and

Whereas, a shortage of available health workers was the largest constraint to ensuring the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to service disruptions and gaps in care; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are leaving the profession at alarming rates due to being overburdened and high levels of burnout; and

Whereas, frontline health workers include a range of occupations who work for salaries, stipends, nonmonetary incentives, or on a volunteer basis, including emergency services personnel, community health workers, midwives and other perinatal health workers, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and surgeons; and

Whereas, communities with healthy populations are more likely to be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, while communities with poorer health are more prone to instability, conflict, and extremism; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are particularly crucial during natural or complex emergency situations to saving lives and aiding communities to recover, rebuild, and become more resilient; and

Whereas, health workers provide lifesaving care at great personal risk in fragile settings and during disease outbreaks, such as the between 80,000 to 180,000 health and care workers estimated to have died from COVID-19 globally in the period between January 2020 to May 2021; and

Whereas, access to a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported frontline health workforce is critical to reversing lost gains from COVID-19; and

Whereas, frontline health workers are a trusted workforce who are the first, and often only, link to health services for people living in low- and middle-income areas and provide services where they are most needed, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas; and

Whereas, partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector in adequately training, equipping, compensating, protecting, and supporting frontline health workers help New Hampshire achieve progress toward local health goals; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the House of Representatives:

I. Reaffirms the central role of local frontline health workforces in achieving the objectives of state health programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies, as well as multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and private sector organizations supported by the state of New Hampshire;

II. Acknowledges that in the aftermath of natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflicts, frontline health workers perform critical services under difficult working conditions, often at great personal risk, to save the lives of those without adequate access to medicines, equipment, or safe water and sanitation;

III. Urges greater attention and support for local frontline health workers to ensure their protection and ability to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health crises, including with adequate personal protective equipment and other essential health product supplies to guard against disease, and protection of frontline health workers; and

IV. Gives affirmative recognition, acknowledgment, and appreciation to New Hampshire's frontline health workforces for their noble and valiant efforts every day, the sacrifices they and their families made personally, and most especially on the days, weeks, months, and years in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.