Health initiative launched in the Liberties

St James’s Hospital in collaboration with the Digital Hub has launched the Local Asset Mapping Project (LAMP) health initiative.

LAMP aims to provide customised support for patients in the Liberties to enable them to better manage their existing health conditions and to assist in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle throughout the community.

The initiative aims to create an inventory of health and wellbeing services in Dublin 8, including medical and leisure facilities.

Dr David Robinson, a Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine at St James’s, is hopeful that the service may ultimately be rolled out nationwide and believes the Liberties is an ideal location to trial the project.

“The Liberties is unique in terms of the diversity of people living in the area, the number of older people, many of whom live alone and face significant economic challenges,” he said.

The surveying of the area will be carried out by transition year students at Warrenmount Secondary School and community members beginning on 11 April. The mapping process will take six weeks to complete.

Dr Robinson believes that it’s vital that the local community is involved in the project.

“The LAMP doesn’t exist without the community, the whole point is to get people to see their own environment in a different way.”

The project is part of a wider movement to focus on preventative measures so that the health service will be better able to cope with our ageing population.