Call to march for mental health
The people of Tipperary are being asked to support a march in support of an acute psychiatric facility for the county this Saturday.
The 'Tipperary Fight for Mental Health Services' group is holding the march in Clonmel on Saturday, September 28th. Attending this week's meeting of Tipperary Co Council, representatives of the group encouraged people to come from all over Tipperary to support the march.
Spokesperson Maurice Cagney said the group was set up three years ago in response to the number of suicides in Tipperary. The HSE recorded 18 suicides in the county last year, 14 males and four females. Mr Cagney said his group would dispute this figure, reckoning it could be higher.
He said a large part of the problem is that there are no beds for acute psychiatric patients in crisis situations in Tipperary. Patients must the north of the county must instead travel to Ennis while patients in the south are referred to Kilkenny.
“It's not right that in 2019 we have to send Tipperary patients to other counties to be treated,” Mr Cagney told the meeting. He appealed to the 40 members of the council to stand with the group in Clonmel.
Group secretary Thomas Ryan spoke of his own personal experience with suicide and the trauma that families must go through. He wanted to see St Michael's psychiatric unit re-opened in Clonmel. Even if the HSE could provide only five beds there and five in Nenagh for the north of the county, it would make a big difference, he said.
Mr Cagney said the facility could be located in Cashel, Nenagh or Roscrea; the location would not matter, but Tipperary needs a facility of its own, he argued. “We're from Clonmel but we're campaigning for Tipperary,” he said.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Murphy assured the group of the support of Tipperary Co Council's elected members, all of whom are aware of the need for crisis beds. The issue has already been raised with local Oireachtas members, he said.
“Something needs to change,” Cllr Murphy told those present. “Let's send a message in Clonmel.”