Croí, the heart and stroke charity, has released its 2020 Annual Report, which details its response to the pandemic and the launch of new, award-winning programmes for people living with, or affected by, heart disease and stroke.
“2020 was unquestionably a very challenging year, not only for our organisation, but for our community and those living with or affected by heart disease and stroke. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives in ways we didn’t think imaginable, but we are proud to say that Croí stepped up to the challenge and provided support as best we could to the people we serve,” says Neil Johnson, Chief Executive, Croí.
Although the Croí Heart and Stroke Centre was forced to close to the public in early March 2020, Croí offered their Centre to the HSE, who used it as a regional Contact Tracing Centre. The Croí Team adjusted to remote working and developed first-in-Ireland virtual programmes to support people living with heart disease and stroke.
Croí was to the forefront in responding to the needs of patients and carers, who were severely impacted by the pandemic through decreased access to health services, delayed or postponed appointments and procedures, leading to increased levels of anxiety, stress and worry. Croí’s Heartlink West free telephone support line became a vital lifeline for people all across the country, with 80 – 100 calls each week to Croí’s Cardiovascular Nurse Specialist.
“This report illustrates that despite COVID-19, our staff responded to all the challenges; pivoted to online and hybrid health programme delivery, and innovated in digital revenue generation, to allow us achieve our mission of supporting those most in need. As we are funded entirely through our own revenue generation activities, we could not do this important work without the very generous support of our donors, sponsors and volunteers, and for this we are deeply indebted,” says Johnson.
Read the report now on the Croí website, www.croi.ie/annualreport
