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Heroes Aid donates tablet devices to frontline worker in County Limerick

Heroes Aid: Vicky Phelan, with her son Darragh (Right) and her nephew Tyler (Left), selecting the recipients of the Heroes-Aid tablet donation initiative.

Heroes Aid donates tablet devices to frontline worker in County Limerick

Heroes Aid, a voluntary not-for-profit organisation established in the early stage of Covid 19, to protect and support frontline healthcare workers, is arranging for the distribution of 50 tablet devices to individuals and organisations across Ireland caring for patients during the Covid 19 pandemic. 


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Heroes-Aid was established on a voluntary basis by Mary Leahy, a Public Health Nurse, and further, came to life with a growing committee and Irish band Keywest, who produced a music video aptly called Ordinary Superhero 

The devices are being distributed in pairs of two to 25 recipients working on the front lines of Ireland’s healthcare sector. The individuals and organisations were selected by Limerick’s Vicky Phelan, from a group of nominees submitted by members of the public and fellow healthcare workers in an online initiative held by Heroes Aid.

One of the recipients is Maria Gallagher, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at University Hospital Limerick, who was nominated by John Wall.

Heroes Aid received hundreds of nominations of organisations and individuals, including those working in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, GP Practices, and community and social care settings around the country.

The tablet donation initiative was launched by Heroes-Aid to assist healthcare workers to overcome the communication challenges brought on by Covid 19. The devices will enable healthcare staff to communicate clearly with people under their care while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

Mary Leahy, CEO of Heroes-Aid said “Covid 19, as with any infectious disease, presents challenges in communicating between healthcare staff and their patients. Technology has become a major asset to assist in overcoming these communication barriers. Frontline healthcare workers can use these tablet devices to communicate with their patients while adhering to social distancing guidelines.”

Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, Medical Director of Heroes-Aid said “The masks, goggles and visors that our frontline healthcare workers are wearing has created a real barrier in terms of communication between patients and healthcare providers.

The restriction on physical contact and the covering of faces with masks has meant that simple gestures we used to take for granted, such as a reassuring smile or touching a patient’s hand, no longer occur. We hope these tablets enable healthcare providers and patients to communicate safely, in a more human way.”

The full list of recipients of the tablet devices from Heroes-Aid is as follows:

Cappagh Kids (Co. Dublin); Rory Wilkinson, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, St James’s Hospital; Donore Nursing Home (Co. Wicklow);  Ciara McCormack, Meals on Wheels; Acute Dialysis Unit, University Hospital Galway; Stroke Rehab Unit, Tallaght University Hospital; Ryevale Nursing Home (Co. Kildare); Dr.Tara Hendley (Co. Dublin); Dr. Eoin Tiernan and Dr. Sandra Tiernan, St Vincent’s University Hospital; HSE Intellectual Disability Team (Co. Westmeath); Medical Social Work Department, The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital; Ashleigh House Treatment Centre (Co. Dublin); Nurses Christine Tatoy & Cherry Ann Tatoy; Early Supported Discharge Team for stroke survivors (Co. Cork); St. Joseph’s House for Adult Deaf and Deaf Blind (Co. Dublin); St Luke’s Home (Co. Cork); The Holy Family Nursing Home (Co. Galway); St. Anne’s Ambulatory Day Care Centre, St Vincent’s University Hospital; ICU, Tallaght University Hospital; Safetynet Primary Care (Co. Dublin); St Mary’s Nursing Home (Co. Galway); Rush Nursing Home (Co. Dublin); Oncology and Haematology Services, Naas General Hospital; Maria Gallagher, Clinical Nurse Specialist, University Hospital Limerick; and Oncology Nurses at Our Lady of Knock Unit at Galway Clinic.

The goal of Heroes-Aid is to raise funds to provide practical supports, such as essential PPE and other resources to keep Ireland’s healthcare heroes safe as they care for us. The voluntary organisation also intends to provide longer-term psychological, educational and practical support for frontline healthcare workers, their children and families who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Heroes-Aid is appealing to members of the public to assist them in supplying Ireland’s frontline healthcare heroes with essential resources to ensure they can work safely during the current pandemic. Members of the public who wish to donate to Heroes-Aid can visit the organisation’s website to find out more. 

Click here for more info. 

For more stories about supporting frontline workers, click here.

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.