PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROJECT
FOR TRAVELLERS IN GALWAY CITY
In Galway City the Primary Health Care for Travellers Project was established in 2000 as a joint partnership initiative with the Western Health Board (now the HSE Western area) and the Galway Traveller Support Group (now the Galway Traveller Movement).
Primary Health Care Project has the following objectives:
• To establish a model of Traveller participation in the promotion of health.
• To develop the skills of Traveller women in providing community health based services.
• To liaise and assist in creating dialogue between Travellers and Health Service providers.
• To highlight gaps in Health Service delivery to Travellers and work towards reducing inequalities that exists in established services.
Primary Health Care moved from the training phase in 2004 to the employment phase. Graduates from the course are now employed by the Galway Traveller Movement as Community Health Workers.
Outreach: Traveller participation takes the form of Primary Health Care Outreach Programme.
• This involves Community Health workers carrying out house and site calls to Traveller families.
• Giving out specific health information, promoting healthy lifestyles, signposting, referring and linking Travellers onto appropriate Health Service Providers.
• Community Health Workers also organise health information campaigns based in the community on (e.g. Health Heart, Breast Cancer Awareness, Mental Health Promotion and Vaccination and Immunization)
• Deliver lectures, presentations to Health Service Providers including Student Nurses, Midwives, Public Health Nurses and GP trainers so as to raise awareness about Traveller culture and ethnicity.
Health Promotion Materials
• Developed and designed by Community Health Workers
• Breast Check, Cervical Smears, Postnatal Depression, Osteoporosis and Vaccination leaflets.
• Videos and DVD’s have also been produced by the Project on Mental Health, specifically ‘Am I Stressed’ and ‘Am I Depressed’.
Advocacy and Lobbing
• Are core actions of Primary Health Care Project
• Community Health Workers represent Traveller issues on a range of local and community led committees.
• Representation in working Groups including HSE Traveller Health Unit, HSE Primary Care working Group for Travellers sub-group, the HSE/GTM Midwifery / Traveller Working Group and the National and Regional Traveller Health Networks.
Recommendations and Way Forward:
• The continuation of the Traveller Health Unit in the HSE Western Area as an integral part of the National Traveller Health Strategy
• An inclusive and strategic approach to Traveller health to be developed by the HSE Intercultural Strategy.
• Prioritise Traveller Health. In doing so it must commit to the full completion of the actions detailed in the National Traveller Health Strategy 2000 – 2005.
Contact Details: Joan Gavin Tel: 087 0517322