Rural Community Health

New Rural Community Health Worker

Majella Canty took up the position of Rural Community Health Worker (RCHW) at IRD Duhallow in February 2022. The role of the RCHW is to support and signpost people to activities which promote wellbeing. The Rural Community Health Service is a collaborative initiative between IRD Duhallow and the HSE. The service aims to link people into local activities within their communities to improve their health and wellbeing. Developing and delivering community health initiatives specific to the needs of the local population is key to the role.

Majella Canty sorting through some of the many clothes donated by the Duhallow community.

Farmers Outreach Kanturk Mart

Since its inception, IRD Duhallow has worked closely with farmers across a number of programmes such as EIP and RSS for small income farmers. In addition to this and in collaboration with Kanturk Mart our Rural Community Health Worker (RCHW) held an outreach event at the mart which introduced the new RCHW role, highlighting how it may support farmers in the community and conducted a survey to identify needs. The biggest priorities for this group were identified as stress management, tips to manage mental health, cancer prevention and farm safety. Contact information was collected from local farmers and a farmer ’ s group network was established. A health check night was planned for late May and a farm safety event will be held in September in collaboration with the Agricultural Environmental Specialist at IRD Duhallow and our Agriculture Working Group.

A stand was taken at Kanturk Mart as part of the Rural Community Health programme, raising awareness of Mental Health amongst farmers, who are a key target group for this initiative.

EIP Farmers Event Outreach

Majella Canty discussing the new Rural Community Health Project with farmers at a recent EIP event.

Linking in with our agricultural – environmental team at IRD Duhallow, Majella our RCHW attended an EIP event, introduced herself to the group and highlighted how she can support them as RCHW. Speaking at this event was a great opportunity to promote the RCHW role and initiative. Contacts were added to the farmer ’ s group network which will be used to promote health initiatives which may benefit the members. Expressions of interest taken for health check evening and farm safety event.

SafeTALK

safeTALK training facilitated by the HSE took place in May, at IRD Duhallow with 23 participants completing the workshop. safeTALK training is a very important tool in in suicide prevention which is a core objective of the Rural Community Health project.

Joanne McNamara and Majella Canty at safeTALK Training held at IRD Duhallow in May.

Ukrainian Support Banteer/Millstreet

IRD Duhallow was tasked to coordinate support for Ukrainian families arriving into Millstreet. As part of her role, Majella Canty supported the response and helped coordinate volunteers and worked with local translators and community people in supporting the families. Linking in with other agencies on the ground in Millstreet, Majella will continue to assist the Ukrainian refugees by providing accurate support information and identifying those who may need further support and signposting to relevant services e.g., GP, public health nurse.

Active Workplace

Smiles all around - members of the new IRD Duhallow Walking Group enjoy a cuppa with Majella Canty, Rural Community Health Worker, the rain did not dampen the spirits.

Our RCHW participated in a webinar to promote an active workplace. Delivered by HSE Health Promotion Officers for Physical Activity this webinar introduced participants to the benefits of physical activity in the workplace. We are now aiming to keep staff on their toes and get that step count up!

Fitness Fridays, a Pitch & Putt league and a Step Count Challenge are some of the fun ways the staff at IRD have been getting active. The active workplace initiative is proving a great hit with staff who are competing to be crowned pitch and putt team of the year. The active workplace initiative allows staff to prioritise their health and wellbeing with a little friendly competition, lots of banter, fresh air, and exercise.

A pitch and putt competition was organised as part of the active workplace initiative.

Just For Dads

Just for Dads is a programme aimed solely at men which highlights how important Dads are to their children ’ s development and provides opportunities for men to explore and develop their fathering role in a supportive, non-judgemental environment. The programme is centred on men, to help strengthen their resilience and build self-esteem. Just for Dads offers a safe space for fathers to come together to support and learn from each other, the programme will be delivered by Majella Canty (RCHW).