Welcome funding to benefit patients of community hospital in West Limerick

FRIENDS of St Ita's have received a welcome funding boost of €1.5 million from the JP McManus golf pro-am fund. 

This will allow them to expand original plans for a HSE capital project of 16 beds to now being a 50-bed long-stay residential unit in St Ita's Community Hospital in Newcastle West.  

READ ALSO: There are people to talk to in Limerick and the Mid-West over the Christmas holidays

This project is part of the national HSE plan, with an estimated total cost of €44 million and it's expected to be completed within five years. 

A design team has now been appointed by the HSE, at a cost of €3.4 million and the €1.5 million funding from the JP McManus fund will go towards this. 

Chairman Fergus Scanlan said that reaching this point has involved many people, without whom such a project would not be possible. 

“This is really wonderful news for St Ita’s, for its residents and patients and, indeed, for the entire community of West Limerick. 

“We as “the Friends” see this award of €1.5 million as a further ringing endorsement and an enormous boost to our fundraising campaign which, when received, will bring our total funds raised over these 23 years to well over €6 millon. 

“Truly, a remarkable achievement, but I must hasten to add, would never have been achieved without the wonderful support and the outstanding generosity of all sections of this great community and beyond and, in particular, the unparalleled generosity of the great man himself, JP McManus and his wonderful committee, from whom we will have received a whopping €3 million which represents almost half of our total raised to date.”

Fundraising by the Friends of St Ita's over the years has allowed them to purchase essential medical equipment, including some high-tech items, which are aiding in patient recovery.  

Mr Scanlan said that they appreciate all fundraising efforts and that everything they do is for the patients: “At the end of the day this is what matters most and all geared towards the care, comfort and wellbeing of our much-loved residents and patients who come from this community and beyond.”

He added that the community hospital staff make  every effort to make the patients feel comfortable and at home. 

“It's a service which is being provided in a very loving, caring and homely environment by the truly wonderful staff at every level.”