Funding announced for drugs and inclusion health services in Louth

Minister for State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton, has announced €445,000 in annual funding to maintain existing level of drugs and inclusion health services provided by community and voluntary organisations in CHO8 which includes Laois/Offaly, Longford/Westmeath and Louth/Meath.

The money is part of €3.5 million in national funding announced today.

The funding will be distributed by community healthcare organisations (CHOs), based on guidance issued by the Department of Health. The allocation per CHO is allocated on the basis of population.

The government say that the additional funding is aligned with the emphasis on enhanced community care in the Sláintecare reform programme, bringing care into the community and closer to people’s homes and that the funding also complements the once-off inflation fund, which provided €3.9 million to drugs and inclusion health services in 2023.

Minister Naughton said:

"I am delighted to announce €3.5 million in additional funding for community and voluntary organisations to maintain existing level of service for drugs and inclusion health. 

“The funding recognises the important role of community and voluntary groups in providing drugs and inclusion health services, and acknowledges the increased costs of providing these essential services.

"I am allocating between €330,000 and €445,000 per annum to CHOs to support existing services to meet the health needs of socially excluded groups, such as people who use drugs and people who are homeless."

Minister Naughton continued:

"A strategic approach will be adopted in the use of this funding, to ensure tangible and quantifiable health benefits for service users and to support sustainable improvements in service provision.

"Priority will be given to services which are experiencing increased demand and have not received additional funding in recent years, in order to ensure maximum positive impact."

It is expected that the funding will be distributed in the third quarter of 2023.

In June 2023, Minister Naughton announced increased funding of €500,000 for cocaine and crack cocaine services. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has now said that submissions from CHO 8, which includes Louth, were successful.