This article is from page 29 of the 2007-08-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
SOUTH-EAST Clare is to get a new state-of-the-art health centre.
It will be located at Westbury and is scheduled to open next summer.
The Health Service Executive has confirmed that the new centre will provide a wide range of services for infants to older people in the provi- sion of primary community and con- tinuing care services.
The new development at Riverdale, Westbury will provide public health nursing, community welfare serv- ices, child health clinics and dental oss Goh
Therapy rooms will be available for treatments such as speech and language therapy and occupational and physiotherapy services.
Locals have been campaigning for such a centre for several years as services had to be provided in the Presbytery attached to St Nicholas Parish church. There were delays in going ahead with the development with problems regarding its location and funding.
Local Labour cllr Pascal Fitzger- ald who lives in Westbury said its great to see this project now coming on stream and “we are now seeing interest being shown by the HSE”.
Killaloe cllr Tony O’Brien said it is a very welcome development for the people of south-east Clare and he looked forward to its completion.
‘There were hold-ups and difficul- ties along the way, but now that its going ahead its better late than nev- er,’ he said.
This part of Clare has seen spec- tacular population growth in recent years stretching from Ardnacrusha across to Clonlara.
Once a rural county, Clare’s new housing estates are now taking over the landscape and early develop- ments in Westbury resulted in severe flooding with flood waters entering
elehyene
Today Westbury is serviced by a new mixed business retail com- plex and Clare County Council has opened offices there to cater for the needs of the people in east Clare.
The new proposed health centre will further strengthen the infra- structural needs of the area which is now a parish of the diocese of Lim- erick complete with a church for the ever-growing population. Parishion- ers who send their children to Scoil Ide in Corbally and Parteen School now want a school in their own par- ish as the other two schools are expe- riencing overcrowding.