New Heart Health Centre in the West!

Today, (Wednesday, June 2nd 2010) marks the first step of this ambitious project with the official signing of a long-term lease for a site gifted to Croí by Galway City Council. The ceremony took place today at City Hall in Galway. This is a very exciting development in the life of this progressive West of Ireland charity, bringing the organisation closer to achieving one of its long term goals – building 'Croí House'.

'Croí House' or ‘The West of Ireland Heart Health Centre’ will be the only resource of its kind in this country. Ireland's first dedicated Heart Health Centre will provide dedicated facilities and support to people affected by cardiovascular disease in the West of Ireland. It will provide family accommodation for relatives of cardiac surgery patients; screening and outreach facilities for patients & their families and a base for Croí's Community Heart Health Team. Most importantly though, the Croi Centre will be a ‘Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention’- a dedicated facility leading a range of innovative prevention programmes including lifestyle modification and intervention.

The site, which is located off Thomas Hynes Road, Newcastle, Galway and adjacent to both University Hospital Galway and National University of Ireland, Galway will house the two-storey, 1,400sq m facility. As well as providing a flagship headquarters for Croí, the building will also house facilities for research, education and training in the area of cardiovascular health. This will further consolidate Croí ‘s position as a thought leader in the area of heart health & heart disease prevention in Ireland.

“Over the past 25 years Croi has played a leading role in promoting and supporting the development of heart services and facilities. In that time, the foundation has impacted in virtually every area of cardiac care. To-day, marks another major milestone in the fight against heart disease”, Professor Kieran Daly, Croí Chairman said in City Hall today. “Being a step closer to establishing a community base for heart health education and support, is a monumental day for Croí and we are truly grateful to Galway City Council for their very generous support”