The Minster for Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD has visited Southill Hub to launch Limerick as a Sláintecare Healthy Community location.
Introduced nationally in 2021, Sláintecare Healthy Communities is a cross-Government initiative to deliver increased health and wellbeing services in 19 areas of greatest need across Ireland.
The Limerick Sláintecare catchment areas include Southill, Ballynanty, Moyross, Prospect, Ballinacurra Weston, Ballinacurra Gardens, Janesboro, parts of Limerick city around Parnell Street and Gerald Griffin Street, King’s Island, Rathbane, Garryowen, Pennywell, Mulgrave Street and Old Cork Road areas and Woodlawn Park.
For administration purposes all the areas in the following Electoral Divisions are included St Laurence, Galvone (A&B), Ballynanty, Prospect (A&B), Ballinacurra B, Glentworth (A, B, C), Rathbane, John’s (A&B) [King’s Island], Abbey (C&D) and Singland (A).
The launch of Limerick Sláintecare Healthy Communities is the successful culmination of close collaboration between many partners. These partners include the Department of Health, the HSE, Limerick City and County Council, Paul Partnership, Limerick Social Services Council and local communities.
The launch at the Southill Hub in Southill heard from a number of speakers including Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr. Francis Foley, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, Maria Bridgeman, Chief Officer HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, Helen Fitzgerald, Coordinator Social Programmes with PAUL Partnership and Chief Officer of Limerick Local Community Development Committee Seamus O’ Connor.
The event highlighted the Sláintecare Healthy Communities programmes that have been established across parts of Limerick. The Healthy Communities programmes aim to support people’s wellbeing within the community and provide better access to a range of services needed to help improve and promote healthier lifestyle behaviours.
This work is supported by the Sláintecare Community Enhancement Fund which provided €250,000 to deliver projects that will assist and impact on the health and wellbeing of people living in the Limerick City areas. The work is also supported by a HSE Sláintecare Healthy Communities Coordinator Ger Fahy and the Limerick City and County Council, Limerick City Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer Tanya Carey.
Limerick Sláintecare Healthy Communities programmes include:
- Programmes to support people to stop smoking:
- Stop Smoking Advisor – Offering one to one support and access to free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, lozenges, gum and mouth-spray) to those who wish to quit smoking.
- We Can Quit – A friendly and supportive peer led stop smoking group delivered locally for men and women. It offers free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, lozenges, gum and mouth-spray) to help people quit smoking and stay quit for good.
- Making Every Contact Count – Empowering local health professionals to deliver brief interventions and advice for patients to support healthy behaviours.
- Social Prescribing – A Social Prescribing link worker works with individuals to reduce social isolation and link them into community activities and services.
- Parenting Programmes – Healthy Families (Parenting Programme) aims to support parents with routines, screen-time, mealtimes and establishing good sleep patterns for their kids. The Healthy Families Programme answers all of these concerns, and gives parents the tools to address these issues in a positive manner.
- Healthy Food Made Easy – Community delivery of healthy cooking and nutrition programme. It offers insight into nutrition and cooking skills that help people to make healthier eating choices, plan meals on a budget and make easy and quick to cook meals.