SERVICES
Community Call: Monaghan County Council takes the lead in joining together local organisations to assist citizens during Covid-19
Dedicated community support helpline to be available from Tuesday 31st March
At the instigation of Minister Murphy a Covid-19 Community Response Forum will be put in place for each City/County and co-ordinated by the Local Authority in each case.
A dedicated community support helpline will be established in County Monaghan to assist at risk members of the public in accessing non-emergency and non-medical supports and advice during the current public health emergency. The confidential phoneline service is being established by the new COVID-19 Monaghan Community Response Forum, which includes over a dozen agencies and organisations. The role of the Forum is to ensure that there is a co-ordinated community response and to enable all voluntary statutory agencies to collaborate in support of our communities and particularly of our most vulnerable members.
Included in the COVID-19 Monaghan Community Call are:
- Monaghan County Council
- Health Service Executive
- Community Champion
- An Post
- Community Welfare Service
- An Garda Síochána
- Tusla
- Local Volunteer Centre
- Local Development Companies
- Red Cross
- Civil Defence
- GAA
- IFA
- Public Participation Network
- Age Friendly Network
- Local Link
- Citizen’s Information
- Alone
- Migrant Forum
- Religious Organisations
The new phoneline is just one aspect of the Forum’s work. Its core aim is contributing to the community-wide effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Monaghan County Council, through this group, will ensure that the wide variety of groups working across the county to assist those in need, will do so in an organised, collaborative and targeted way. The Council’s COVID-19 Community Response Forum is there to ensure the very best use of the many resources assisting vulnerable persons with their daily needs at this unprecedented time, whether that is collecting medication, food shopping, social support and contact.
Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council, Eamonn O’Sullivan, explains “There are a number of agencies currently doing excellent work in delivering care to older and vulnerable people in our communities. These groups are currently operating independently of each other and Monaghan County Council’s role is to provide a targeted, integrated and coordinated approach to the delivery of these much needed services to our more vulnerable citizens across the County during the COVID-19 pandemic. Monaghan County Council is ideally placed both statutorily and regionally to channel this great work and provide the governance structure in partnership with all stakeholders. This public health crisis has changed life for so many, and we are there to help with that change. Our own staff whose day-jobs have changed due to this crisis, will be a key resource in the management and operation of this community support programme along with our partner agencies/groups. Set to come into effect from Tuesday 31st March, Monaghan County Council is providing a dedicated FREE contact number 1 800 804 158 with the lines open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.”
Contact details of this new service will be promoted on www.monaghan.ie. An information leaflet including the new freephone number and other information will be distributed around the county, particularly to vulnerable households, over the coming days.
Any other queries regarding COVID-19 can be sent to covidsupport@monaghancoco.ie
Privacy notice – Community Response Helpline
Contact by:
Phone on: 1800 804 158
Email: covidsupport@monaghancoco.ie
Text: Text HELP Followed by your name to 50555
and if possible please have your Eircode to hand.
Helpline is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.