ALMOST €18 million has been announced for cross-border health projects this week.
The first was the Community Connections and Well-being Project (CCWP) is an EU-funded €9.6 million cross-border mental health project that will bring together statutory, voluntary and community sectors to work collaboratively.
The project, which supported by PEACEPLUS, is designed to enable people with mild and/or emerging mental health difficulties, to access early intervention programmes and support.
It will provide support to 10,000 individuals with mild and/or emerging mental health difficulties.
This will be achieved by enabling access to early intervention programmes and support in the Western and Southern Trust areas, and in the HSE border counties.
The overall aim of the project is to improve the mental health and well-being of people by focusing on responding to early signs of distress to prevent escalation and provide access to support closer to home through community hubs, and delivery of interventions.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA also welcomed the opportunity this project brings to address longstanding social and economic challenges that continue to impact negatively on the mental health and well-being of our border communities.
The second funding announcement came yesterday (Tuesday), when €8 million was confirmed for a new alcohol initiatie.
The Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT) Partnership is leading the Community Alcohol Detox + Project (CAD+), which again has been funded by PEACEPLUS.
CAD+ is a collaborative cross-border project that will support 1,000 people impacted by alcohol dependence, and their families/carers.
It aims to improve the health and well-being of people experiencing alcohol dependence, and provide support and education to help address broader societal issues.
Launched in Monaghan, the project will offer a home/community-based alcohol detox programme to those assessed as ready to detox, followed by post-detox community-led support.
