THE Monksland Primary Care team will hold an Open Day for the local community at its new Primary Care Centre at Monksland, Athlone next Wednesday (October 3).

The aim of the Open Day at the new Centre is to provide information to the public on the availability of the local health services and how people can avail of such services at the Centre.

The focus is to ensure that the local population has improved access to a greater range of health services within their community. The Open Day will take place between 2pm and 5pm, and members of the public are encouraged to attend and view the facilities in the Primary Care Centre prior to the Centre opening.

The Monksland Primary Care Team was established in 2008, and is made up of GPs, public health nurses, practice nurses, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, primary care social worker, home help and administrative Staff, and the Primary Care Centre will be used by other services including dietetic services, mental health services, and an area medical officer.

The geographic area covered by this team includes Monksland, Brideswell and Ballydangan.

Catherine Cunningham, HSE Area Manager, Galway/Roscommon, suggests that the Open Day "is an opportunity for the team to show the public the range of services, which are available locally, and to demonstrate how the team can work in partnership with the local community in the future".

The Monksland Primary Care Team has also published an information leaflet, which gives information and contact details on the various services available in the area. Copies of the information leaflet will be available from the Primary Care Centre on the day. Anybody who would like further information is asked to contact Marie Prendergast at mariep.prendergast@hse.ie