Cllr Joe Sullivan elected Chair of new South East health body.

Mental Health and the Ambulance Service will be the priorities of Cllr Joe Sullivan, who was elected to Gorey Municipal District Council last June, and has now been elected as Chairperson of the South East Committee of the Regional Health Forum South.

This is a 39 member body enabling nominees of local authorities in Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford to make representations to the HSE on the range and operation of health and personal social services in their areas.

Two committees of the Forum focused on acute hospital and community services respectively have been replaced by one each to look at all health services in both geographic entities in the Regional Health Forum South’s functional area – the South East and Cork/Kerry (South West).

Speaking after his election to the Chair, Cllr Sullivan said: “The Forum’s South East Committee is a new body, replacing the former Acute Services Committee and Primary, Community and Continuing Care Services Committee. It amalgamates these different services into a geographical area.

“During the course of my Chairmanship, I will take special interest in mental health services and the provision of a fast and efficient Ambulance Service for people in outlying areas who may not have access comparable to those in more built up areas.

Full report in THE GOREY ECHO.