Heroes-Aid donates 50 tablet devices to frontline workers
Heroes-Aid, a non-profit organisation, has donated 50 tablet devices to individuals and organisations caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The devices will be distributed in pairs of two, to 25 recipients working on the front lines of Ireland’s healthcare sector. Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan selected the recipients from a group of nominees submitted by the public as part of an initiative held by Heroes-Aid.
Heroes-Aid, which was established in the early stage of COVID-19 to protect and support frontline healthcare workers, received hundreds of nominations of organisations and individuals, including those working in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, GP Practices, and community and social care settings nationwide.
The organisation launched the tablet donation initiative in a bid to assist healthcare workers to overcome the communication challenges brought on by COVID-19. It hopes the devices will better enable healthcare staff to communicate with people under their care while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
“COVID-19, as with any infectious disease, presents challenges in communicating between healthcare staff and their patients,” said Mary Leahy, CEO of Heroes-Aid. “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 added: “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 recipients of the tablet devices from Heroes-Aid are as follows:
- Cappagh Kids (Co. Dublin); Advanced Nurse Practitioner, St James’s Hospital; Donore Nursing Home (Co. Wicklow); Meals on Wheels; Acute Dialysis Unit, University Hospital Galway; Stroke Rehab Unit, Tallaght University Hospital; Ryevale Nursing Home (Co. Kildare); 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; 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; Clinical Nurse Specialist, University Hospital Limerick; and Oncology Nurses at Our Lady of Knock Unit at Galway Clinic.
Members of the public who wish to donate to Heroes-Aid can visit the organisation’s website for more information.
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