Mobile health clinic access
Senator McCarthy described how people dealing with addiction, homelessness and exclusion struggle to access healthcare and welcomed Safetynet's mobile clinic in Greystones. Senator Mullen briefly agreed.
Many times in this House, I mentioned the concerning situation where when people battling addiction, homelessness, trauma and long-term exclusion try to access the healthcare system, it can feel miles away, appointments get missed and fear and shame get in the way. I noticed at the Lighthouse that is often the case with many of our guests each evening. Today in Greystones, we have a mobile health clinic run by Safetynet Primary Care. I have spoken about Safetynet Primary Care before. Today, it is at one of our centres in Greystones. It is a simple idea but I often think it is the simple ideas that actually save lives. Instead of expecting vulnerable people to navigate the complicated health system, Safetynet is now bringing healthcare directly to the individual. Free screening and quiet conversations with no judgment or bureaucracy are provided, which makes it so simple.
If we look at the statistics, we can see that more than ten homeless people in Ireland die every month. Most of those fatalities are not overdoses, which is the interesting statistic. Most of them are due to untreated illnesses like liver disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections, etc., that could have been prevented if these people were reached early enough. For over 20 years, Tiglin has tried to see what happens when people are given a second chance at housing, recovery, rehabilitation and employment. We are now trying to see what would happen if healthcare were packaged differently by partnering with Safetynet Primary Care. I think we could make a difference in so many lives.
What Safetynet and Tiglin are doing today in Greystones is all about humanity. A nurse in a van in Greystones will do more for public health than many expensive reports still sitting on shelves. I commend Safetynet Primary Care.
I commend Mr. Phil Thompson, our CEO at Tiglin. I hope that the Minister takes the likes of this role regarding primary care reaching the most vulnerable into account as the new national drug strategy is being finalised. If we are going to take a health-led approach to addiction and homelessness, we need to properly fund it.
