The Oak Healthy Living Centre
The Oak Healthy Living Centre was developed in response to the health inequalities evident within the area.
Funding was secured through The Big Lottery to provide the following:
Information, advice and referral services which allow people to make positive decisions about their health.
Access to education programmes including accredited and non accredited courses.
Developing self help activity, which improves the physical health and mental well being of people and contributes to a healthier community.
Six priority topics have been identified and these provide the basis for our work:
1. Healthy Eating
2. Physical Activity
3. Smoking
4. Life Skills
5. Alcohol and Drug misuse
6. Mental Health and Social well being
The Oak Project – A Virtual Healthy Living Centre
The catchment areas for the Oak Healthy Living Centre are the electoral wards of Brookeborough, Donagh, Newtownbutler and Roslea. In the future we will consider expanding some projects to benefit the residents of Lisnaskea. The area covered is 150sq miles with an approximate population of 9255 and incorporating 11 settlements.
The Oak Project resulted from a successful application to the Big Lottery Fund and is operational from April 2003. It followed a Social Care Audit of the area carried out in 1999.
The largest settlement has 943 residents and given the rurality of the area the only building in a particular community may be the local Community or Orange hall. Our offices are 77 miles from WHSSB HQ at Gransha, 41 miles from Mental Health & Alcohol Addiction services in Omagh, 25 miles from the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen and 12 miles from the Lisnaskea Health Clinic. Roslea village has one Ulsterbus Service per week on Thursday with the nearest connection being 9 miles away, the closest public swimming pool is 25 miles away and the Castle Park Leisure Centre is 12 miles distance.
The rurality of the area has both obvious and not so obvious affects on health. Poor accessibility costs the N.H.S in terms of missed hospital appointments, particularly repeat appointments and results in self neglect. Work<