The New Hampshire Needs Caregivers Act is designed to tackle the health care workforce shortage in the state by enhancing access to primary health care services and improving recruitment and retention efforts. The bill mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to amend its contract with the Bi-State Primary Care Association's Recruitment Center to create a Public-Private Health Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention Hub. This hub will focus on developing programs for nursing preceptor and mentoring initiatives, as well as providing training, technical assistance, and loan repayment opportunities for health care professionals. Additionally, the bill includes a marketing campaign to attract qualified clinicians and supports the New Hampshire Needs Caregivers Program, which aims to train and recruit licensed nursing assistants.

To fund these initiatives, the bill appropriates over $3 million for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027, for various purposes, including the recruitment hub, workforce advertising, and loan repayment programs. It also allows the Department of Health and Human Services to accept and expend federal funds without prior approval from the fiscal committee, streamlining the funding process. The bill makes nonlapsing appropriations of $1,000,000 for the State Loan Repayment Program and includes provisions for hiring additional administrative staff. Overall, the legislation aims to ensure that New Hampshire's health care system is adequately staffed, particularly in rural and underserved areas, with an effective date set for July 1, 2025.