New Hampshire
Q&A: President of New Hampshire Hospital Association Steve Ahnen – NH Business Review
Steve Ahnen
Steve Ahnen joined the New Hampshire Hospital Association as president in October 2008 after serving in various roles at the American Hospital Association in Washington, D.C., for 16 years. The association serves as the primary advocate for the Granite State’s acute care community and specialty hospitals.
Ahnen holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and German from the University of Kansas, and an executive MBA in health administration from the University of Colorado.
He recently appeared as a guest on the “Down to Business” podcast with NH Business Review’s editor, Mike Cote, and managing editor, Amanda Andrews. This article was adapted from the interview. Listen to the podcast at nhbr.com or on your favorite streaming service.
Q. You spent 16 years in Washington with the American Hospital Association, and more than that here. What brought you to New Hampshire, and how does it compare to working at the national level?
A. Working in Washington was a great experience and opportunity. But we often spent more time in Washington arguing over the size and shape of the table than we did the problems that we were trying to address.
As I thought about moving out of Washington and looking at different parts of the country of where I might want to go, I had the opportunity to see regions of the country, and many were very polarized.
My experience in New England was very different. New England didn’t necessarily seem to run to government to solve problems. They didn’t run away from government, but they tried to find ways to partner, to work together. How do we solve problems? Sometimes government can help. Sometimes government gets in the way, and things should be done in the private sector.
New Hampshire was a very unique opportunity. It was a state that was small enough that you could put 26 to 30 hospital executives around a table and try to come to consensus on some big challenges. That’s certainly what we’ve tried to do since I’ve been here.
Q. Colleges have been working directly with hospitals to increase the health care workforce. What are the challenges that you’re still seeing in that regard?
A. We have had a workforce challenge for many years prior to the pandemic; the pandemic certainly exposed those and has exacerbated them. Workforce shortages and vacancies have come down a little bit since the pandemic. They’re still significantly high. We have a vacancy rate of almost 17% for nurses. That’s over 600 vacancies in hospitals across the state.
That means we have to bring temporary contract traveler staff so that we can meet the demand in patient care. And it’s not just nurses; it goes across the spectrum. That drives up the cost of providing care. We’ve seen labor costs go up about 36% since the pandemic. I don’t necessarily see that turning around anytime soon as we continue to see significantly high demand for care in New Hampshire.
There was a study that came out of UCLA earlier this year that tracked nationally that hospital capacity prior to the pandemic was about 64%. Since the pandemic, it’s 75%. Well, what we’re seeing in New Hampshire is closer to 90% plus.
It’s workforce shortages out in the community. People can’t access care on an ongoing basis. Maybe they don’t have a primary care physician. Maybe they can’t get in to see a specialist. And so those conditions worsen and they end up in the emergency room.
But it’s also a problem on the back end.
Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies struggle with staffing, so when a patient is ready to be discharged and they don’t need inpatient care anymore … we can’t move them.
The other piece of that is we’re no longer getting reimbursed for that patient who no longer needs hospital level care, so we’re losing out in that sense.
Q. Cost pressures have been pushing consolidation among hospitals, which is affecting rural areas. What do you think the state needs to do?
A. I think we need to make some stronger investments in (maternity, women health) but we also need to find ways to partner and collaborate. Smaller hospitals can work with larger hospitals who offer those services.
New Hampshire
Missing motorcyclist found dead after crash in Shelburne, NH
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
New Hampshire
Nashua, NH, woman jailed for falsifying marriage to claim late man’s estate
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
New Hampshire
Rescue Crews Help Injured Woman Off Mt. Washington
SARGENT’S PURCHASE – On Saturday, personnel from multiple rescue crews teamed up to help an injured woman get off of Mt. Washington to seek medical treatment.
At approximately 7:45 AM, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers were notified that a staff member at the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Lakes of the Clouds Hut had taken a serious fall at the hut and was left unable to walk.
Fish and Game subsequently mobilized search and rescue personnel to come and help evacuate the young woman from her remote location.
By 10:00 AM, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team (AVSAR), Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue Team (Pemi), AMC and Fish and Game had gathered at the Base Station of the Cog Rail. The Cog Railway generously donated room on their trains, and rescuers and equipment were given rides up Mt. Washington to the West Side Trail, which allowed for a shorter and less strenuous 1.6 mile hike than other routes.
By 11:20 AM rescuers were at the hut with the patient. The patient was subsequently packaged in a litter and prepared for an overland carryout back to the Cog tracks.
Rescue personnel made steady progress, and by 2:15 PM had made it back across West Side Trail and to the train tracks. A Cog Railway train picked up the whole rescue party and brought everyone back down the mountain. Once roadside, the patient was evaluated by personnel from Twin Mountain Fire and Rescue.
She was ultimately driven from the scene by a friend and went to Memorial Hospital in North Conway for further evaluation
and treatment of multiple injuries related to her fall. The patient was identified as Cali Turner, 26, of Willimantic, Maine.
Fish and Game would like to thank all of the people and organizations involved in this rescue effort. Through the help of everyone, the rescue was a great success and got done in a timely manner.
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