Project to focus on smoke-free homes
A NEW project aims to raise awareness amongst Traveller families over the health benefits of a smoke free home.
The County Wicklow Primary Health Care Project, a partnership project of Wicklow Travellers Group, Bray Travellers and the HSE, employs 18 Traveller Community Health Workers, providing an outreach health promotion, education and support service on all aspects of family health to all Traveller families in County Wicklow.
This year the Community Health Workers, as part of their community health education on chronic disease, are working with the County Wicklow Partnership Community Tobacco Cessation Project and the HSE Smoking Cessation Team to support people to make positive changes in relation to their smoking habits.
The outreach work commenced in September and so far, the Community Health Workers have visited 60 families, or 206 adults and children in total.
These families have participated in carbon monoxide tests and have received encouragement and support to create smoke free homes and cars.
At an event held in CEART, Wicklow town, on Monday, the contribution of the Community Health Workers was acknowledged by County Wicklow Partnership and the HSE.
The organisations also committed to continue working with the County Wicklow Primary Health Care Project in 2018 to raise awareness of the benefits of creating smoke free areas and to support families to make changes in relation to their smoking habits.
The valuable sponsorship received for this project from Peter Daly of Perrigo was also acknowledged.
If you would like to find out more about this project for your community and about other supports available to make positive change in relation to tobacco smoking habits, please call Grainne on (087) 629 6269 or the HSE Smoking Cessation Clinics on (01) 2744297.