Cork North Community Work Department (Cork Kerry Community Healthcare) with the Health Action Zone Initiative is celebrating 20 years of Community Health Work across Cork city and county with community partners and supporters at The Glen Resource and Sports Centre. 

This special event marks the official launch of a new website healthactionzone.ie which is full of information on how communities and professionals can find or signpost people to a range of community health and wellness activities, programmes and groups across Cork city and county.

Attending the event was a range of healthcare professionals who link people to local health and wellness services, local community and voluntary services who support the Health Action Zones and Community Health Projects with special community guests representing members of groups and activities across the Health Action Zone areas.

The Health Action Zone areas and Community Health Projects each have a dedicated Community Health Worker. These health workers work individually and collectively to support and promote the development of sustainable health projects within the communities they are based, working always to create a whole community approach to health and wellbeing.

One of the founders of the Health Action Zone 20 years ago, Rebecca Loughry Social Inclusion Specialist CKCH HSE commented:

‘The importance of the Health Action Zone projects and Community Health Workers can’t be estimated and we now have a range of evidence to support the successes of the health projects with 20 years of community health work we can be very proud of and many more years to come’.

Speaking at the health event, Sorcha Ni Chrualaoich, Cork North Community Work Department Principal Community Worker, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare noted:

‘Community health across Health Action Zone areas on Cork’s Northside is particularly strong, flexible and focused on what the local community health needs are using the local steering group structure where local services, health professionals and local people are represented, ensuring the voice of the community is communicated clearly across all the programmes, activities and events of each health project.‘

Bernard Twomey Community Health Worker in The Glen welcomed the next 20 years of Community Health Work and said:

“This next phase of Community Health work in Health Action Zone Projects and Community Health Projects will see continued closely with a range of health professionals across Community Healthcare Networks, with the community and local community and voluntary services.”

Appreciation was expressed for the collaborative work with students of the College of Media and Communications in MTU who worked with HAZ and the team of Community Health Workers on new branding for HAZ. 

For more information on community health and wellness activities see healthactionzone.ie