Threat of closure hangs over Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment centre in Coolarne in Turloughmore

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The threat of closure is hanging over Galway’s Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment centre in Coolarne in Turloughmore

It’s one of five locations around the country providing alcohol, drug and gambling addiction treatment which are under financial strain

Coolarne House was opened in 1994 by Sr. Consilio and a group of eleven volunteers

Today, it consists of 20 detoxification beds and 50 treatment beds.

Each year there are approximately 480 admissions to the Galway centre, the only one in the West of Ireland

Across its five centres Cuan Mhuire provides residential treatment for around 500 people every night.

Management says it receives as little as 4 euro per bed per night in funding from the Government.

Chairman Paul O’Donoghue says the charity is under increasing strain due to higher demand and the cost-of-living crisis, and they need more funding from the HSE.

He goes on to say that closing a centre would have a huge knock-on impact