19,000 visits to Croí stroke centre in 2014

There were nearly 19,000 visits to the Croí Heart and Stroke Centre in Newcastle in 2014, according to the organisation’s annual report.

The report shows there were 18,800 visits made to the centre, while 6,106 people engaged with their health, training and education programmes throughout the region.

And with nearly half of the organisation’s income being generated through fundraising and donations, the report shows that people ran, walked or cycled a total of 202,280km in 2014 to raise funds.

That’s the equivalent of travelling around the world five times.

According to the report, the various Croí programmes have set the standard for best practice nationally.

“The Croi Centre is leading the way nationally in developing evidence based prevention initiatives aimed at saving lives, preventing disease progression and promoting cardiovascular health and wellbeing.

“Change is only possible if we do something to make it happen. Croí offer those important opportunities for people to transform their lives through the recovery, control, and prevention of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

“We are committed to empowering people to take control of their health and manage their cardiovascular risk through lifestyle change.

“Our staff develop and deliver innovative health programmes and services for those affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD).

“Our health programmes also serve as national models for best practice and are a vital element of the work being done through our National Institute for Preventive Cardiology in prioritising preventive CVD healthcare and service delivery in Ireland,” the report reads.