Office of the Governor
GO-NORTH Division
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
HEALTH ACCESS LEAD
Nonclassified Position# NONCEX4011
Annual Salary $125,000
(In-Person; statewide travel required)
*See total compensation information at the bottom of announcement.
The Governor's Office of New Opportunities and Rural Transformational Health (GO-NORTH) was established by Executive Order under Governor Kelly Ayotte and charged with leading the execution and implementation of the State's Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Plan and its five strategic initiatives to transform rural healthcare in New Hampshire.
Initiative 1: Population Health: Increase prevention services and improve chronic disease management, behavioral, and maternal health.
Initiative 2:Access: Ensure sustainable access to care by strengthening rural hospitals, primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, emergency medical service agencies, and specialty telehealth services.
Initiative 3: Workforce: Build and retain a skilled rural health workforce through education, training, and career pathways development.
Initiative 4: Technology: Modernize care delivery by expanding technology, interoperability, and data security.
Initiative 5: Financial Sustainability: Promote financial sustainability with innovative payment models and value-based care.
SCOPE OF WORK:
The Health Access Lead reports to the GO-NORTH Director of Transformation and serves as the implementation lead for Initiative 2 Access of New Hampshire's Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The role ensures that access investments work together as a portfolio, link to the other four GO-NORTH initiatives, and measurably move the metrics New Hampshire committed to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Lead does not run individual projects. Instead, the Lead sets direction for the contractors and partners who do, oversees their contracts and deliverables, and gives them clear guidance on what CMS and GO-NORTH require. The Health Access Lead works with the following GO-NORTH Hubs: Foundation for Healthy Communities (FHC), the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA), the Community College System of NH (CCSNH), the University System of NH (USNH), and New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association (CBHA).
ACCOUNTABILITIES
Coordinate with other GO-NORTH leads so that implementation of the Access Initiative is coordinated across GO-NORTH's other four initiatives rather than running separately in parallel.
Manage contracts with the Foundation for Healthy Communities (FHC).Oversee the FHC's scope of work, including deliverables, milestones, budget, reporting, and programmatic review of invoices. Review and accept deliverables against work plan and contract scope of services, and raise performance issues early.
Lead GO-NORTH review, in collaboration with Director of Transformation, of FHC funding opportunities before release, including eligibility standards, GO-NORTH-approved evaluation criteria, and alignment with GO-NORTH priorities and RHTP.
Support GO-NORTH leadership in reviewing FHC award recommendations for approval, including synthesizing what recommended awards collectively show, rural impact and priority and RHTP alignment, and documenting the basis for approval decisions.
Work with the GO-NORTH Evaluation Lead and Program Integrity and Evaluation Specialist to integrate GO-NORTH evaluation and sub-recipient monitoring into the Access Lead's oversight of FHC.
Translate Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) RHT requirements and GO-NORTH priorities into clear expectations for Hubs, contractors, sub-awardees, and partners.
Support GO-NORTH leadership to set strategic direction for the Access Initiative by providing information on progress toward CMS milestones and lessons learned through implementation efforts.
Maintain clear documentation for audit, compliance, monitoring and CMS reporting.
Look across all access-related awards, applications, and contracts to identify overlap, gaps, and opportunities to connect projects serving the same communities, systems, or patients.
Work with the Director of Transformation to ensure investments advance the Access Initiative goals and CMS-committed metrics of the State's CMS approved RHTP.
Work with GO-NORTH's Evaluation Lead to define Access Initiative related project- and system-level measures, baselines, and targets.
Use evaluation findings and performance data to adjust strategy, guide contractors, and recommend course corrections.
Coordinate the development of the Annual Progress Report, Quarterly Progress Report, and Non-Competitive Continuation Application components for the Access Initiative. This includes gathering information from contractors, maintaining a project plan, capturing success stories and highlighting advances in sustainability planning.
In coordination with the Director of Financial Sustainability & Policy, GO-NORTH Hubs, GO-NORTH sub-recipients, and RHTP awardees to align Access Initiative investments with a long-term sustainability pathway, including reimbursement pathways, alternative payment models, municipal or regional funding, and cross-organization partnerships, and ensure that sustainability planning is built into Access Initiative investments, scopes of work, and required deliverables.
Provide Access Initiative information and support, including program design, cost, utilization, performance data, and cost savings data, to support the Director of Financial Sustainability & Policy, Medicaid and other partners in identifying pathways and policy changes needed to sustain new models of care.
SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE ABLE TO:
Evaluate a broad portfolio of investments, identify where projects overlap or leave gaps, and coordinate them into a cohesive strategy that improves access to care in rural communities.
Build effective working relationships with partners across sectors and align the efforts of organizations outside their direct authority around shared goals.
Interpret complex federal, State, and RHT program requirements and communicate them to partners as clear, practical expectations.
Hold Hubs, sub-recipients, contractors, and partners accountable for performance, identify concerns early, and work collaboratively to resolve issues.
Use data and evaluation findings to assess progress, recommend changes in strategy, and communicate results to leadership and federal partners.
Apply an understanding of health care financing and policy to work with the Director of Finance and Policy in positioning new models of care for sustainability beyond the RHT grant period.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Associate's Degree preferred
Experience: 5+ years
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Experience working in a rural health care delivery system such as primary care, hospital or hospital systems, emergency medical services, or home health
Experience leading implementation across a portfolio of related projects or programs, not just managing a single project.
Experience overseeing contracts, grants, or sub-awards, including scopes of work, deliverable acceptance, invoices, and performance management and monitoring.
Experience with federally or state funded programs, cooperative agreements, or CMS-funded initiatives.
Experience working with external or independent evaluators or using evidence, performance measures, baselines, and targets to guide decisions.
Knowledge of rural health care delivery systems including primary care, EMS and Mobile Integrated Health, home-based care, behavioral health, FQHCs, hospitals, or community-based care.
Experience with Medicaid, alternative payment models, or sustainability planning.
Experience writing qualitative and quantitative reports for federal or state funders or senior leadership to reflect project performance and progress.
Experience working in or with rural New Hampshire communities.
For further information please contact Whitney Hammond, Director of Transformation at Whitney.C.Hammond@go-north.nh.gov.
*TOTAL COMPENSATION INFORMATION
The State of NH total compensation package features an outstanding set of employee benefits, including:
HMO or POS Medical and Prescription Drug Benefits:
The actual value of State-paid health benefits and the amount of employee health benefit contributions may vary depending on the type of plan selected and the bargaining unit with which a position is associated.
See this link for details on State-paid health benefits:
https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/benefits.aspx
Value of State's share of Employee's Retirement: 12.87% of pay
Other Benefits:
*Dental Plan at minimal cost for employees and their families ($500-$1800 value)
* Flexible Spending healthcare and childcare reimbursement accounts
*State defined benefit retirement plan and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan
*Work/life balance flexible schedules, paid holidays and generous leave plan
*$50,000 state-paid life insurance plus additional low-cost group life insurance
*Incentive-based Wellness Program (ability to earn up to $500)
Total Compensation Statement Worksheet:
https://www.das.nh.gov/jobsearch/compensation-calculator.aspx
Want the specifics? Explore the Benefits of State Employment on our website:
https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/documents/BenefitBrochure.pdf
https://www.das.nh.gov/hr/index.aspx
