Up to 30,000 helped by Sláintecare parenting workshops and stop smoking sessions
Young mothers learning about healthy cooking, elderly people being driven to doctor’s appointments, and smokers quitting the habit are among 30,000 people to benefit from Sláintecare projects as reforms start to ramp up.
A Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme launched in January 2022 has now seen up to 30,000 people involved with a range of projects, the HSE said.
In Limerick, a mother-of-four who took part in a cooking programme, said: “It brought healthy food into my kitchen. It taught me and my kids to cook in a healthier, cheaper way.”
The woman, who is not named in the HSE video, said a big attraction for her was that the ‘healthy food made easy’ course was free.
Evelyn Meenaghan, a community mother with the Southside Child and Family Centre, said: “It is honestly one of the best programmes I’ve run” with a mix of learning and practical work. The women and men taking part learn about planning school lunches and how to budget.
In Wexford, the programme helps support a community electric vehicle (EV). A roster of volunteer drivers can take people to medical appointments in Taghmon or nearby towns as well as social outings such as bingo or GAA matches.
One elderly man, Jim, said: “I really enjoy using the car because I’ve bad eyesight and it’s a great help to me if I want to go to the doctor or a hospital, the free car is always there.”
Ann Marie Laffan, Sláintecare Health Communities Local Development Officer with Wexford County Council, said the EV project is a partnership between local public bodies and a car dealership.
A webinar on these projects also heard from Dr Gráinne Kent, HSE Slaintecare Healthy Communities researcher.
“We are seeing really positive indicators from the programme and that the programme is doing what we intended it to do in terms of targeting those most in need,” she said.
Some 19% of people on the healthy food programmes nationally are unemployed. Among the parenting groups 21% are unemployed.
Figures for January 2022 to September this year show more than 2,500 parents took part in 393 parenting workshops nationally.
She said 6,254 smokers took part in one-to-one stop smoking sessions, while more than 6,800 people took part in the 730 healthy food cooking programmes.
