Tuam’s Pieta House should be retained as a fully operative treatment centre and not downgraded.
There are reports that the executive of Pieta House is proposing to downgrade nine of its existing 15 centres to hub status.
There are fears that this would turn Tuam Pieta House into an outreach centre that would provide only a limited service.
The centre currently provides free therapy for those engaging in – or at risk of – self-harm, those with suicidal ideation and those bereaved as a result of suicide.
Tuam Pieta House opened in December 2013 and provides services to a wide catchment area ranging from Ballinasloe to Westport.
There are four therapists and two clinical support staff employed by the centre, which currently has 50 people in treatment and a further 30 people on a waiting list.
Since the centre opened, more than 1,800 people have used the service.
Pieta House Tuam has proved beyond doubt that it can make – and has made – a difference to people in great need of assistance, providing therapy and support in a professional and confidential manner.
Tuam is a very accessible location for this increasingly valuable service across a very broad catchment area.
The local community raised funds to establish the centre and has supported it from the beginning.
I am calling on the executive of Pieta House to retain the centre in Tuam at its current level of operation.