Tallaght Hospital to start new public health education series across the community
By Mary Dennehy
TALLAGHT Hospital is starting a new public health education series, which will see its consultants, nurses and allied health professionals delivering talks and leading discussions in community spaces.
In partnership with the Patient Community Advisory Council (PCAC), the hospital will be organising regular public events which will discuss topical and common health issues – while making the experts at Tallaght Hospital assessable to those living in its surrounding community.
The first event will feature Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Anthony O’Connor who will give a talk called ‘Your bowel – What you need to know and why’ at 7pm in Sacred Heart Junior National School in Killinarden on Tuesday, January 31.
The talk will focus on providing useful health information and tips as well as answering audience questions.
Speaking with The Echo, Dr O’Connor said: “I’ll be talking about ways to keep yourself healthy through diet and lifestyle and also taking about some of the bowel investigations – and breaking down the myths, there not as scary as many perceive.
“People don’t really like talking about bowel health and this discussion will help to get the conversation started and break down the stigma.
“Around 2,400 people a year in Ireland get colon cancer, which is a type of cancer that is extremely treatable if detected early.
“This is why bowel investigations are so important for anyone experiencing any bowel symptoms.”
He added: “I’m hoping that the talk will be informative and upbeat and I’ll also be talking about and that, while it is an important factor, how a big role in colon cancer is played by genetics, smoking and alcohol.
“I think this series is very positive and it’s important that as a hospital we are rooted in the community that surrounds us, and that we play a role in public health.”
Dr O’Connor also told The Echo how Tallaght Hospital is hoping to become a national centre for bowel screening and is currently putting the infrastructure in place.
According to Catherine Heaney, Chairperson of the PCAC and Fettercairn Community Health Project Co-Ordinator: “This series of talks and events will be of huge benefit to the local community around Tallaght Hospital.
“We have a growing and an ageing population, where health needs are constantly changing, so this is a very positive development.
“The community has a strong loyalty to Tallaght Hospital and it is great to see Tallaght Hospital return this loyalty by being an active participant in the community.”
The first talk in Killinarden will be followed by a series of events in public venues across Tallaght as the year progresses.
The free talks are open to all members of the community, with details of each talk posted on www.tallaghthospital.ie and Tallaght Hospital Facebook page HERE.
