Croí, the heart disease and stroke charity, has received a major international recognition in being the first Irish organisation to be accredited by the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) for its work in cardiovascular risk management and prevention
Croí is one of only eleven organisations across Europe to be awarded the status for its Croí Heart & Stroke Centre in Galway.
The purpose-built facility opened in November 2012 and is a leading centre for heart and stroke prevention, research, education, support and rehabilitation. The centre is also home to the Croí Courtyard Apartments which allow family members to be as close as possible to patients receiving cardiac or stroke care in University Hospital Galway.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Croí has nimbly responded to the needs of patients and carers through a range of supports and services. Last year, Croí’s Heartlink West free telephone and virtual support service responded to over 3,000 queries. Additionally, 384 people at risk of, or living with, cardiovascular disease participated in a range of online structured lifestyle, education and recovery programmes. These include the innovative cardiac prevention and rehabilitation programme, Croí MySláinte, and the specialised obesity programme, CLANN. The Croi MySláinte programme was one of a number of specially selected initiatives funded through Sláintecare innovation funding.
The announcement follows an assessment and benchmarking of Croí’s cardiovascular risk management and prevention work under a range of performance
For more information on the work of Croí, visit www.croi.ie
