South Leitrim Community Health Forum was set up following a community
needs assessment, carried out by the HSE and Leitrim Development
Company, working in partnership. The Community Health Forum aims to
address and influence health inequalities in service delivery, and
develop health promoting initiatives and opportunities in the South
Leitrim area, through community participation on the South Leitrim
Community Health Forum, South Leitrim Primary Care Team and other
appropriate forums. The current members of the community health forum
are Des McHugh (chair) ,Ita Flynn, Helen Faughan, Betty
McDermott ,Breege Grimes ,Sylvia Dolan, Michael McGovern (primary care
team rep), Mary McKiernan (primary care team rep), Sean Reynolds
(primary care team rep).

The South Leitrim Primary Care Team (PCT) consists of health and
social care professionals based in and around Ballinamore, Carrigallen
and Mohill. The PCT was first established in 2007 as part of the HSE’s
Primary Care Strategy : the PCT promotes better joint working between
GPs and HSE staff, ensuring the delivery of services are as close as
possible to the person’s own home.

The Primary Care Team consists of GPs in Ballinamore, Carrigallen and
Mohill, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, a Home
Support Co-ordinator, a Social Worker, a Community Dietitian, a
Clinical Psychologist, a Community Mental Health Nurse and also
support from other Health Professionals such as Speech & Language
Therapy, Disability Services and Child and Family Services.  The South
Leitrim Primary Care Team also has three representatives from the
local communities as members of the team, who are also members of the
community health forum (see above).

This diagram is taken from Whitehead & Dahlgren (1991) Policies and
strategies to promote social equity in health. It describes the
factors that influence the health of people and shows that health is
about wellness in a broad sense, including social factors such as
housing, employment and relationships, as well as the absence of
illness.

Submitted By Michael Mc Govern

 

 

The Chairman of Leitrim Community Forum Mr Gerry McGee officially launched the new updated Forum Website in the presence of Forum members and representatives of  affiliated groups in the North West Mobile Cinema at the Mayflower Complex in Drumshanbo on Tuesday evening August 16th.

 

In the course of his address Mr McGee said “….it is my pleasant duty to welcome you all here tonight to the launch of out Leitrim Community Forum Website. The purpose of our new website is to give a wider platform for the activities of the Forum and also to represent all strata of society within the County of Leitrim.

 

As and from tomorrow the website will be fully operational and we appeal to all our Forum members and to the representatives of the networks within our county to subscribe to the website, for example to  publicise local events such as Festivals, Agricultural Shows, Charity events and hundreds of other items too numerous to mention.

The Website can only be kept alive and of interest by being continuously updated by YOUR input of suitable material. For those of you who were not at out training session in Mohill Enterprise Centre we have here with us tonight our website developer. He will give you a rundown of the site features and will explain how we can best use it as a community resource.

After this session you are welcome to some light refreshments in the Mayflower next door after which we will show the film GASLAND. This film deals with the controversial operation known as “Fracking”. We arranged for the showing of this film purely from an educational point of view as to happenings in the gas exploration business in the USA. County Leitrim Community Forum takes no stand whatsoever in this matter”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article Submitted by Jim Penders

 

Leitrim Addictions Awareness recently hosted a special event in order to recognise the achievement and commitment of the students of NUI Maynooth outreach courses run in Leitrim and Roscommon.
It had been intended that Minister Pat Carey who has responsibility for the National Drugs strategy would do the honours but the minister was recalled to Dublin at very late notice to attend meetings.
Leitrim Addictions Awareness was delighted to secure the services of Sligo Garda Superintendent James Kearins who agreed to stand in at a couple of hours’ notice. The Sligo Supt was previously a member of the North West Regional Drugs Task Force, the main funder of the addiction studies course and his kind assistance was greatly appreciated by the event organisers.
Other guest speakers at this year’s event were; Loman Conway, Chairperson of the North West Regional Drugs Task Force. Kellyann Reid of NUI Maynooth, Gerry Farrell, course tutor for the NUI Maynooth Certificate in Addiction Studies and Eamon O’Kane of North West Alcohol Forum Ltd
The event was held in the Sligo City Hotel and recognised the achievement of students from the NUI Maynooth Certificate in Counselling Skills which was delivered through Roscommon Learning Links, previously known as The Higher Education Centre, Boyle, County Roscommon, plus students of the NUI Maynooth Certificate in Addiction Studies which is delivered through Leitrim Addictions Awareness in the Bee Park Community Centre, Manorhamilton, County Leitrim.
Leitrim Addictions Awareness secured €10,000 funding from the North West Regional Drugs Task Force and €5,000 from North West Alcohol Forum Ltd, giving €15,000 which was used to subsidise the NUI Maynooth Certificate in Addiction Studies course and assist the community sector in tackling this issue. The funding was administered by County Leitrim VEC who agreed to facilitate Leitrim Addictions Awareness with this initiative.
This same course is run at several other locations nationwide and will cost participants in excess of €1,000, but by securing this funding Leitrim Addictions Awareness offered this course for just €350.
Leitrim Addictions Awareness has been operating informally since 2005 and is made up of community minded individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from health practitioners, teachers, recovering addicts and others. No members of Leitrim Addictions Awareness receive any financial compensation for their time, all are entirely voluntary.
The members of Leitrim Addictions Awareness first came together by initiating the drugs awareness events which were funded by the North West Regional Drugs Task Force and subsequently organised by Leitrim Community Forum in 2006 .
Leitrim Addictions Awareness aims to raise levels of awareness and education in regard to the harm caused by the misuse of both legal and illegal substances. It also aims to source funding where and when necessary to run information and educational events in regard to the dangers of drugs, alcohol and other harmful substances, which often have a detrimental effect on both the users and their close friends and family.
Several of the committee have participated in addiction related training, including the NUI Maynooth Certificate in Addiction Studies, a course which was also a result of their member’s efforts to secure funding. The strength of Leitrim Addictions Awareness is the diversity of their membership and the broad spectrum of learning each brings to the committee.
This NUI Maynooth Certificate in Addiction Studies is easily the most affordable level 7 third level course of its kind in the North West and is designed to provide participants with knowledge and skills to respond positively to addiction related issues as they arise at work or in the community.
By providing participants with the level of knowledge and awareness required, the training will assist in prevention through education as this knowledge and learning will be taken back to each participant’s parent group. The aim of this course is also to provide participants with a broad overview of key theoretical frameworks in relation to substance misuse and dependence, and to enable them to develop basic helping and intervention skills. Guidance towards treatment would then follow.
Siobhan Gallagher of Roscommon Learning Links and Jim Penders of Leitrim Addictions Awareness would like to congratulate all students from both courses, and thank everyone who contributed on the night. Jim would also like to add special thanks to Sean O’ Connor, coordinator of the NW Regional Drugs Task Force, Trevor Sweetman of Leitrim VEC and Lorna Curry, development worker with the NW Regional Drugs Task Force for their continued support and assistance to ensure this course was delivered to a high standard which should help secure the continuation of this course into the future as the demand is certainly there, and in the current economic climate, may well experience an increase in applications next year.
Unfortunately this course may be at risk due to North West Alcohol Forum Ltd withdrawing the entire €5,000 support for the 2011 course, but Leitrim Addictions Awareness will do all they can to deliver this course as the demand has never dropped and 23 applicants already have their names in for the 2011 course.

1. The organisation shall be known as County Leitrim Community Forum.

2.  The objective of the Forum is to develop coherent strategic policies expressing the concerns and needs of the voluntary and community sector within Leitrim as well as to work in partnership with Leitrim County Council, the County Development Board and other statutory agencies in making County Leitrim a good and safe environment in which to live, work and play.

3        Membership of the Forum shall be made up as follows-: North and South Community Networks (8), Leitrim Integrated Development Company/Electoral Areas (8) and Sectoral representatives as set out below. In selecting representatives,the issues of gender and geographic representation will be taken into account.

4        A Community and Voluntary Group seeking membership of the Forum must meet the following conditions-

(a)    be in existence for a minimum of  a year and a day

(b)     have open membership and hold an Annual General Meeting at which officers are elected

(c )      have a minimum membership of five persons

(d)      not be a short term single issue group

5 Every four years eligible groups shall elect representatives to the Forum in accordance with the structures set out by the Forum. Where a member of the Forum resigns before the end of his/her term a bye election  will be held  among the members of the sector concerned to fill the vacant position.

6 The County Leitrim Community Forum will incorporate  into it’s membership the community representatives elected to the Leitrim Integrated Development Company where they are deemed to be the sole area representatives on the Forum. Representatives who resign from either organisation during their term as representatives are deemed to have resigned from both and new elections for the position will be organised jointly by the Integrated Company and the Forum.

7        Representatives are eligible for election for a maximum of three consecutive terms.

8 The membership of the Forum shall be as follows-

(a)        North Leitrim Community Network (2 male/2 female), South Leitrim Community Network (2 male/   2 female), Disadvantaged Men (1 male), Rural Women (1 female), Sports (1), Older People (1), Community Enterprise (1), Arts/Culture (1), Youth (1), People with Disabilities (1), Residents Associations (1), Environment (1), Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual  (1), Addiction (1), New Residents (1) . Each of the above to serve for a five year period or until the next Local Authority elections.

(b)        Representatives of Leitrim Integrated Development Company and Electoral Areas-  Manorhamilton    (1 male/1female), Dromahaire (1 male/1 female), Carrick on Shannon (1male/1 female), Ballinamore (1 male/1 female). Each of the above to serve for a three year period.

9 An Annual General Meeting of the Forum on a date and at a venue decided by the Forum will be held each year at which will be elected a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Correspondence Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Public Relations Officer. The Forum shall appoint representatives to various bodies as required.

10 Two representatives shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting to the County Development Board in accordance with the following procedure. Members of the Forum wishing to stand shall put their names forward to the Chair in advance of the election. A secret ballot will then be held with the candidate receiving the highest number of votes elected to represent whichever half of the county, based on the division of the community networks, he/she represents. The second representative will come from the remaining candidates and will be the one who receives the highest number of votes, of the opposite gender and from the other half of the county.  Should a bye election become necessary the geographic and gender balance shall be maintained.

11 The Forum shall meet as often as it’s members decide but a minimum of six times per year.

12 The Leitrim County Development Board shall administer the budge allocation of the Forum. The Forum will oversee the budget expenditure.

13 Decisions at ordinary meetings of the Forum shall be either by consensus or, failing that, a show of hands. In the event of a tie the chair shall exercise a second or casting vote.

14 In order for a meeting to proceed a quorum which will consist of one third of the membership must be present. If a quorum is not present within fifteen minutes of the scheduled time of commencement the meeting will be adjourned until a later date to be decided by the chair.

15 Notice for meetings will be given in writing  at least seven days in advance and will include an agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting.

16 Should a Forum representative fail to attend three consecutive meetings either of the Forum or of a body on which they represent the Forum without giving a reason acceptable to the Forum, the Forum may decide to replace that representative.

17    Details of discussions at Forum meetings shall be confidential to members but decisions shall be made public unless decided otherwise by the Forum.

18 Proposals to amend the Constitution may be made at the Annual General Meeting. All such proposals must be notified to the Forum a minimum of fourteen days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting .For a proposal to be adopted it must receive the support of two thirds of the members present and entitled to vote.