Ireland’s biggest mobile stroke prevention and heart health hub will be launched in Tuam next week.

Croí, the heart and stroke charity, will open the Croí Mobile Health Hub, a state-of-the-art mobile health unit, at O’Tooles Supervalu, Tuam, on Thursday, September 12, from 10am to 4pm.

People are invited to come along on the day and take advantage of free blood pressure and stethoscope checks, along with expert health advice.

The event will also feature a talk by the Croí Health Team on the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity for maintaining a healthy heart. This is a great opportunity to learn more about heart health and connect with the experts.

Commissioned as part of a transformative legacy donation of over €3 million from the Joe & Helen O’Toole Charitable Trust, the Croí Mobile Health Hub is a first of its kind in Ireland.

The 13.6-metre-long, multi-purpose unit is the largest of its type in the country, designed to facilitate early detection of stroke and heart disease.

Equipped with six private assessment cubicles and two consultation rooms, the vehicle can also be converted into an open-plan educational and training space capable of hosting up to 40 visitors, with full audio-visual facilities.

Mark O’Donnell, CEO of Croí, emphasised the importance of this groundbreaking initiative:  “Stroke and heart disease remain the leading causes of death and acquired disability worldwide, yet 80% of early cardiovascular disease is preventable.

“Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Joe & Helen O’Toole Charitable Trust, this purpose-built mobile facility will bring lifesaving services directly to communities.

“The Croí multi-disciplinary health team will provide varied early detection and preventive health checks on board, as well as deliver education and training events.

“We are committed to making these services accessible across the region and beyond through our mobile units, as well as building out the delivery of additional and more advanced diagnostics, and research activities over time,” Mr O’Donnell added.

The Croí Mobile Health Hub will serve as a vital resource, offering a wide range of free health activities across the West of Ireland and beyond. Its capacity to deliver such public-facing health initiatives will help to empower individuals with the knowledge and support they need to take control of their heart health.

Education programmes will cover a broad spectrum of topics, including brain and heart health, specialist lifestyle & dietary advice; recognition of stroke and heart attack signs and symptoms; defibrillation training for community first responders and home responders; post-stroke and post-heart attack recovery within the community; disease awareness and advocacy campaigns as well as exercise based physical activity.

The Croí Mobile Health Hub is the third community vehicle acquired by Croí, since launching a Community Mobile Health unit and minibus earlier this year, all of which have been funded by the trust.

In addition, the Joe & Helen O’Toole Stroke Hub will open at Croí House in Newcastle in January 2025 to provide post-hospital discharge stroke care and support services as part of this legacy donation.

Mary Lardner, a trustee of the Joe & Helen O’Toole Charitable Trust, expressed pride in seeing this project come to fruition: “Joe and Helen were deeply committed to improving the lives of those in their community, and the Croí Mobile Health Hub is a fitting tribute to their legacy.

“We hope that through this initiative, more lives will be saved, and families will be spared the devastating impact of stroke and heart disease.”

The launch event on Thursday next week is open to all, and Croí encourages everyone in Tuam and the surrounding areas to visit the truck, to take advantage of the free health checks and educational sessions from 10am – 4pm outside O’Tooles Supervalu to learn more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from stroke and heart disease.

For more information visit www.croi.ie/events.

Pictured: Caroline Dermody, Croí Community Nurse Lead, at the May launch of smaller Croí Mobile Health Units, also donated by the Joe & Helen O’Toole Charitable Trust.