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Minister of State for Health Promotion marks accreditation of Healthy Waterford and launches Primary Care Patient Information Leaflets

Minister of State for Health Promotion Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, TD, today (Friday) marked the accreditation of Healthy Waterford, as a member of the National Healthy Cities and Counties Network of Ireland in City Hall, Waterford and launched Primary Care Patient Information Leaflets.
Congratulating all those involved, Minister Corcoran Kennedy said “A key theme in Healthy Ireland is focusing on effective ways of empowering people and communities to take responsibility for improving their health. Initiatives like Healthy Waterford contribute in many valuable ways to empowering people and building strong communities for health and wellbeing.”

Waterford was one of the first counties in Ireland to become a member of the National Healthy Cities and Counties Network, and was presented with a certificate of accreditation to the Network at its launch in November 2016.

Speaking at the national launch, Councillor John O’Leary, member of the Healthy Waterford Steering Committee, said “In Waterford we say health is everyone’s business! Healthy Waterford is, at its essence about making connections. It is about facilitating co-operation between agencies and empowering the people of Waterford to reach their health potential. We are committed to continuing to create communities that help people to stay well, stay connected, stay active and ultimately stay healthy.”

Launching the HSE Waterford Primary Care Patient Information leaflets, Minister Corcoran Kennedy praised the efforts of HSE Primary Care and Healthy Waterford, commenting “This is what Healthy Ireland is all about - empowering and supporting communities and individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices. Encouraging health literacy and providing accessible information are significant components in helping people to look after their health.”

The Information Leaflets were produced as a joint initiative between HSE Primary Care in Waterford and Healthy Waterford, as part of their work around health literacy. The leaflets are written in plain English, edited by the National Adult Literacy Agency and carry the Plain English Mark. They contain a description of all the services available through primary care in each area, how to access the services, contact details for each primary care team and out-of-hours GP service, and other useful contacts.

Encouraging more counties to participate in the National Healthy Cities and Communities Network of Ireland is a key objective on the Healthy Ireland agenda. Minister Corcoran Kennedy concluded “As a former Councillor, I know that Local Authorities and local organisations are uniquely placed to bridge the gap between national policy and local implementation. I see huge potential for them to contribute to building a healthier Ireland and I am confident that by working together we can succeed”.