A new primary care centre in Athenry, which was officially opened this week, will give the public easy access to an increased range of services in one location.
That is according to the local health authority’s area manager for Galway/Roscommon, Catherine Cunningham.
The facility, which is located in Raheen, will greatly enhance the delivery of health services in Athenry and the surrounding area, she said.
It will provide primary care services in Athenry, Craughwell and the surrounding area, bringing together other HSE services currently provided from a number of different locations.
She said the development of primary care teams was a key element of the HSE’s national plan to develop community-based health services.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore TD said this Government hadmade a deliberate decision to prioritise “scarce resources” to build up primary care infrastructure and staff and by reducing the cost of accessing it.
“Investing in new primary care centres, hiring over 200 new primary care professionals, and bringing in free GP visits for children under the age of six is all part of the same reform strategy. It’s about catching illness before it becomes a crisis and it’s about keeping our population healthy - that’s good for patients, and it is good for taxpayers.”
Marie Prendergast of the HSE West’s primary care department remarked that primary care health services were the first point of contact for people in the community.
“The new facility in Athenry has been in planning for a number of years and will allow the provision of high quality health care in a clean, modern, safe environment. The building is fully accessible for those who have a disability, those who have mobility difficulties and for parents with buggies.”
The Athenry centre was developed by Raheen Development. It will provide:- public health nursing, community physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietician services, speech and language therapy, continence advice, mental health services, psychology, family support services and counselling. There will also be facilities available for visiting services. The centre also forms a base for the recently commenced autism spectrum disorder team (ASD ).
The contact number for HSE services at the Athenry Primary Care Centre is (091 ) 737300.
