Loughrea Primary Care Centre opens

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Loughrea's Primary Care Centre has now opened its doors. The facility on St. Brendan's Campus on Lake Road in the town will serve a population of 15,000 people which will include a network service for Gort, Portumna and Eyrecourt. Planning for the centre started in 2011 and has reached completion at a cost of €1m. This involved refurbishing a section of the former St Brendan's Community Nursing Unit. The team includes public health nurses, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and speech and language therapists. The HSE says this team will deliver services in an integrated manner as close to a person's home as possible. Other Primary Care Centres opened in the region in the last number of years include Galway City East, Athenry and Monksland. Planning permission has also been granted for a new Primary Care Centre in Mountbellew. It's anticipated work will commence in the Autumn 2014 with completion in Spring of 2015. Permission is also in place for a Primary Care Centre in Tuam with commencement due in late 2015.