Aisling clinic services must remain in Ballyfermot

éirígí Cllr. Louise Minihan has demanded that vital services provided by the Aisling clinic be kept in Ballyfermot.

The drugs rehabilitation clinic, based in Cherry Orchard, is due for closure at the end of March. The HSE has stated that from that date onwards clients from the Aisling centre will be treated at a number of different locations across Dublin.

The impending closure and relocation of the Aisling clinic has caused an outcry from service users and residents of Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard alike.

Speaking from Ballyfermot Cllr. Minihan said, ‘The proposed closure of the Aisling centre is part and parcel of a sustained assault on the people of Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard. In the past couple of years successive governments have attacked our communities through funding cuts to services, repeated attempts to close hospital wards, withdrawal of local bus services, attempting to remove teachers from local DEIS schools and now through the closure of our local drugs rehab centres.

The Aisling clinic has served the people of Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard and beyond for over twenty years and its closure would be a major loss to the community.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been contacted by services users at the Aisling clinic and local residents, who are deeply concerned and angered by the closure of this vital local service. Further distress has been caused by HSE plans to relocate services to a number of sites across Dublin instead of keeping them here in Ballyfermot.

 A number of people have suggested to éirígí that the services should be relocated to the new primary health care facility in Cherry Orchard. We completely agree. The new facility is ready made to offer such a service and is so close to the site of the Aisling clinic that relocation here would cause minimal disruption for service users.’

Louise continued, ‘I have contacted the HSE to demand it take the steps needed to keep this vital community service in this area. I have informed them that not to do so will be totally unacceptable to the local community here in Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard.

éirígí Ballyfermot demands that the HSE use common sense and relocate the services concerned to the primary health care facility in Cherry Orchard.