The Friends of St. Ita’s are delighted to report that in recent weeks we funded the provision of much-needed and very essential medical equipment to the value of €15,127 for St. Ita’s Day Hospital. In some cases this was in addition to equipment already on hand, but in constant demand and having this extra equipment greatly reducing the pressure on medical staff in this regard. As most will know, St. Ita’s is an old 19th Century building and therefore is constantly undergoing upgrade and refurbishment to keep it compliant with current-day health standards and indeed in keeping with HIQA requirements. Inevitably, this entails ongoing expenditure on improvements to maintain these exacting standards. This is why, said Chairman Fergus Scanlan, “The Friends are regularly called upon to come to the assistance of hospital management to help with this funding. Very happily, and as already mentioned, The Friends are in the position to answer the call. Over recent months we have provided funding in the region of €45,000 towards various improvements (some currently underway) including a fitted kitchen for St. Ita’s Bluebell Unit as well as curtains and blinds etc. for this unit; communal seating for each of the three units – Bluebell, Camelia and Orchid. This brings our overall expenditure on medical equipment and the other improvements just listed to €60,127, which is quite a sizeable amount, in addition to all our other regular monthly outgoings, i.e. weekly music sessions for St. Ita’s residents and patients, Sky viewing, wi-fi and broadband etc. Needless to say, we are truly delighted because it is all for the benefit, care and wellbeing of our much-loved residents and patients in this great community hospital!”
We are delighted to say that our fundraising continues to do very well, with the total raised to date standing at close on €4.5 million. And we are equally delighted to say that we have had very successful fundraisers so far this year, including Knockfierna Sponsored Climb last April which raised close on €17,000; Maureen Kennelly’s bake day in Loughill last May which raised a very generous €4,020; a flag day in Rathkeale in May, which raised €1,602.00; a flag day in Abbeyfeale in September (€2,500), bringing our fundraising total, including church gate collections, to close on €44,000 – truly fantastic!
However, while we bask in the glow of our ever-increasing fundraising success, it is, unfortunately, tempered by our enormous disappointment with the HSE in coming to a decision in relation to a capital project regarding an upgrade of the long-stay accommodation in St. Ita’s which formed the basis of our application for funding from the JP. McManus Golf Pro-Am that we originally submitted in 2018 ahead of the Golf Pro-Am due to take place in July 2020, but, owing to Covid-19 was postponed until July 2022 which, as we all know, proved to be an outstanding success. After this the JP. McManus Charity Committee requested The Friends to submit a revised and recosted project which we in turn requested from the HSE at that time (July 2022) and, sadly, here we are over two years later – still waiting. However, we understand that a much bigger expansion of the resident long-stay accommodation at St. Ita’s, with a 50-bed unit, is being considered. So, we appreciate the implications involved from all aspects in coming to a final decision in relation to its implementation which, we understand, has been under consideration for quite some time. And so the least we expect from the HSE at this stage is confirmation of the additional long-stay bed numbers, and costing and timeframe for implementation of the project. This, indeed, is the very least which the JP. McManus Pro-Am Committee are entitled to know, as they have been extremely patient over these last two years. Needless to say, we are extremely grateful to them, and the very same applies to all of our truly wonderful supporters for their ongoing generosity without which this project and, indeed, the very many, many more besides, would not be happening or ever have happened – and so the HSE have an awful, awful lot for which to be thankful!
“I should add, we also have our local Minister, Patrick O’Donovan, working on getting answers to the satisfaction of all concerned and we are relying on a positive result as this means so much to West Limerick, and in particular to St. Ita’s Hospital, towards having an additional 50-bed unit (if that proves to be so. Hopefully, our next press release will have positive confirmation of this, Le Cúnamh Dé!
As always, our most grateful thanks to all of our wonderful supporters, without whose outstanding generosity we would not be issuing this news. Finally, our most grateful thanks to the staff of the Weekly Observer/Vale Star who are constantly in our corner, conveying details of our successes and always good news stories (mostly) which plays such a vital role in our ongoing success!
May the good Lord bless and reward one and all.