Offaly County Council and Clara Family Resource Centre host Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD to showcase benefits of Healthy Ireland Community Mental Health Fund

Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Frank Moran and Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney along with Liz Fleming, Coordinator Clara Community & Family Resource Centre welcomed Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Hildegarde Naughton to Clara today.

Cathaoirleach Moran outlined that “Clara FRC benefitted from funding under Healthy Ireland’s Community Mental Health Fund and we are delighted to showcase this project to Minister Naughton.”

Liz Fleming advised Minister Naughton that “working with a number of partners, the Clara Family Resource Centre, using this funding, was able to assist the local community by providing crisis intervention and family counselling (including for parents and children with disabilities).”

Ms Fleming outlined that “people were struggling with negative health aspects such as bereavement, separation, anxiety, unemployment, loss, and missing social interaction during lock downs and post lock down.  The cost of private counselling, and the lack of transport, prevented people from accessing counsellor supports in other towns. Providing low-cost accessible counselling on site in the Clara FRC was a lifeline for many.”  Ms. Fleming paid particular tribute to the counsellors that came into the Resource Centre for the benefit of users.

Minister Naughton outlined “Clara FRC project supported communities during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.  The demand for community and local based supports throughout the country multiplied so funding came at an opportune time.  It is wonderful to see the benefits of Healthy Ireland funding first hand.”