Hundreds of marginalised people, many living rough, are being brought into mainstream health care through two new clinics run by a Limerick doctor, one of which is held in a soup kitchen.
Patrick O’Donnell runs his clinics two afternoons each week, one at St Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam House in Harstonge St, and the other at an Ana Liffey centre in Ballysimon.
Dr O’Donnell shares his experience with medical students at the University of Limerick, where he lectures on social inclusion issues, with the students also working with him at the clinics.
Since Dr O’Donnell began his HSE-funded clinics as a pilot project 12 months ago, he has brought up to 500 people ‘in from the cold’ with regards to health care.
“I deal with people who may be homeless, living in squats, finding it hard hold on to accommodation, sex workers, heroin addicts, people who have huge mental health problems, many who are suicidal, all of whom for one reason or another have no organised health care situations in place for themselves. They are people who don’t have access to the health system and health care. Some have literacy problems and can’t do the ordinary things like filling in forms to get medical cards.”
After assessing patients, he plots out a care plan liaising with GPs and the HSE.
Source: Irish Examiner, 13/03/15
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
