A Cavan councillor has expressed his disappointment at the HSE’S response in relation to mental health services in Cavan.
Speaking at a recent Cavan County Council meeting, councillor Aiden Fitzpatrick described the HSE’s response as “not good enough.”
Councillor Fitzpatrick believes there should be a “pilot scheme” introduced across the Cavan area on how to tackle suicide, as he claims local children and families have been left to deal with it by themselves.
He claims local families who have been bereaved by suicide in recent times, have not received a phone call from any statutory organisation.
Speaking at a recent council meeting, he claimed Stephen Donnelly was “kidding himself” if he thought all possible procedures were in place – adding that the current situation was in need of “urgent review.”
While councillor Fitzpatrick claimed this issue “would not” be something he would back down from anytime soon, councillor Brendan Fay added that he would “claw like a dog” with him on it.
Councillor Brendan Fay also supported the motion of going back to the HSE and demanding a more adequate response.
Speaking at the recent council meeting, councillor Fay stated, “We all know what’s happening in our county. There is no help for people and something has to change.”
Councillor Shane P O’Reilly also weighed-in on widespread concerns, stating that Cavan as a county has the “highest suicide rate in the country per capita.”
He added that the HSE’s response was nothing but a “slap in the face” to every councillor at the meeting, who has demanded for better mental health services across the Cavan area for some time now.
He stated, “As a council we need to keep saying it’s ok not to be ok,” and warned that the HSE had not provided any assistance to those who need it – “not by a long shot.”
As a result, the council will request to meet with Christine Wynee of SOSAD and the HSE’s suicide prevention officer, Emer Mulligan.
It was also proposed that the council would write to the HSE and the Secretary General of the Department of Health.
