November 23, 2018
Donegal captain Michael Murphy officially launched a new health and well-being project which is being rolled out across County Donegal by Donegal Local Development Partnership. The project is ‘CoH-Sync’ which is short for Community Health Synchronisation. The CoH-Sync project is a cross border EU INTERREG VA funded programme and is now available to anyone who wants to begin their journey to getting healthier but doesn’t know where to start. Whether it is help to quit smoking, lose weight, make new connections in your community or just generally feel better about life, CoH-Sync can help.
Pictured at the launch Michael Murphy, Donegal GAA captain lending his support to the new CoH Sync health and well-being project in Co Donegal.
According to Donegal GAA Football captain, Michael Murphy, CoH-Sync is not about making big changes to your life: “If you want to take that first step to leading a healthier life then the CoH-Sync service could be for you. It’s about enabling people, of all ages and fitness levels, to make some simple changes to their life, with the friendly advice and support of a trained Health Facilitator.” He added: “It can be hard to know where to start when you want to get a little bit fitter or healthier. This is where the CoH-Sync service can help, by supporting you to make the changes that are important to you, with no lectures!”
Funding for the CoH-Sync project was secured by the cross border health services partnership, Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT) from the European Union’s INTERREG VA programme. The HSE is one of the CAWT partner organisations.
Donegal Local Development Company (DLDC) was successful in winning the contract to develop a CoH-Sync health and wellbeing hub in both the Letterkenny / North Donegal area and also for the Ballyshannon / South Donegal area. Both health and well-being hubs are facilitating people to improve their health and wellbeing in areas such as physical activity, mental health, nutrition, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Pictured at the launch of the cross border CoH Sync health and well-being project in Co Donegal are (left to right): Brid Kennedy, Programme Manager, HSE; Padraic Fingleton, Donegal Local Development Company; Louise Brogan, Donegal Local Development Company; Patrick Murray, HSE, Head of HR, CHO1 area – HSE; Lorraine McGowan, Donegal Local Development Company and Brigid McGinty, Project Manager, CAWT.
Pictured at the launch of the cross border CoH Sync health and well-being project in Co Donegal are (left to right): Padraic Fingleton, Donegal Local Development Company; Maura O’Neill, Western Health and Social Care Trust (CoH Sync Project Chair); Patrick Murray, HSE, Head of HR, CHO1 area – HSE and Louise Brogan, Donegal Local Development Company.
Commenting on DLDC’s success in securing the two CoH-Sync project contracts in Donegal valued at €407,000 each, Padraic Fingleton, CEO said: “DLDC is working to improve opportunities for people and communities in County Donegal. The aims of the CoH-Sync project fit with our focus on being a bridge between our local community, the public sector and the private sector. We are delighted to be delivering this new programme across Donegal and ensuring that the CoH-Sync service is accessible to a wide range of people across all communities.” He added: “I would encourage everyone to sign up to an initial consultation with one of our CoH-Sync Health Facilitators. It is a free service and could open the way to new activities and networks in your area.”
Pictured at the launch CAWT CoH Sync Project staff team (left to right): Maura O’Neill, Western Health and Social Care Trust (CoH Sync Project Chair); Brigid McGinty, Project Manager; Emmett, Lynch Project Worker and Aoife Balfour, Project Worker.
Speaking on behalf of the CAWT cross border health and social care Partnership, which secured the EU funding for the border region, Patrick Murray, Head of HR in the HSE’s CHO1 area said: “It is fantastic that two CoH-Sync health and wellbeing hubs are being established in Donegal. The HSE, along with the Northern Ireland’s statutory health services played a significant part in securing the overall funding for the CoH-Sync project which is establishing a network of 8 health and well-being hubs in the border region of Ireland, Northern Ireland and SW Scotland. This project, with its focus on early intervention and prevention, will contribute significantly to reducing health inequalities and enable people to improve their health in a supportive community-based environment. I wish to congratulate Donegal Local Development Company for their success in securing the contracts for the two Donegal CoH-Sync hubs and wish them every success as the project rolls out across the county.”
For more information on the CoH-Sync project locally or to find out how you can book the services of a Health Facilitator contact: Siobhan Coyle, Community Health Co-ordinator – Letterkenny/North Donegal Tel: 074 91 27056 Email: scoyle@dldc.org or Lorraine McGowan, Community Health Manager, Tel: 074 9723368 Email: mailto:lmcgowan@dldc.org
Notes to editors:
- CoH Sync website information: http://www.dldc.org/community-health-sync-project/
- The CAWT Community Health Sync Project has received grant funding totalling €5.01 million and is funded through the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, and match funded by the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government with support from the Scottish Government.
- The CAWT Community Health Sync project partners are the HSE, Western Health and Social Care Trust; Southern Health and Social Care Trust; Public Health Agency, Health and Social Care Board and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
- The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU Structural Funds Programmes, PEACE IV and INTERREG VA which are designed to enhance cross-border cooperation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The Programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and in the case of INTERREG VA, Western Scotland.
- The INTERREG VA Programme has a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contribution of €240 million and aims to address the economic and social problems which result from the existence of borders.
- For more information on the SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu