The Bridge Medical Centre

06/12/2023

We like a bit of good news !!

Working with Adolescents in Zimbabwe…

See Beyond Stigma for additional detail

04/10/2023

Dear All,

We are fundraising again for the Atlantic Humanitarian Relief October '23 Mission to Syrian Refugees in Jordan - see www.atlantichumanitarianrelief.org for more detail.

There are still c 800,000 children, women and men incarcerated in Camps, mainly in Northern Jordan. There are 4 Kildare Volunteers (including Brendan O' Shea and Corinna Hopkins) joining an international group of c 80 volunteers in total, doing an intense week of Family Medicine, Dental and Surgical Care in the camps, and in some of the surrounding hospitals.

Volunteers self fund their own travel and accommodation, and the funding is for the purchase of medical and dental supplies, and Operating Theatre Time for Surgical and Dental procedures.

We are running a concert in St Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare (Friday October 13th at 7.30 for 8.00 pm, which will include a very pleasant and engaging program of Choral, Chamber Music and Organ Music, all easy listening, including Organist Arthur Green, formerly Organ Scholar at Trinity College Dublin and now at Christchurch Cathedral.

There will also be a raffle (fabulous prizes !), and two very brief talks on the circumstances faced by Syrian refugee families, and on the Mission and how it works.

The AHR Mission runs twice yearly, in October and May...

The evening is particularly suitable for families (esp Transition Year Students), and the Cathedral is a wonderful venue for it.

Details for both Ticket purchase for the concert, or to just Donate directly are on Eventbrite - see flier attached to this email.

02/10/2023

The Bridge Medical Centre are now holding Flu vaccine and Covid Booster Clinics.
Please phone the surgery at 045 432999 to arrange an appointment.

Please note:
A minimum of six months should have elapsed since the most recent COVID19 booster vaccine or COVID19 infection prior to receiving another Booster.

11/01/2023

The Bridge Medical Centre are now holding Covid 19 Booster Vaccine Clinics for 18- 49 year olds. A minimum of six months should have elapsed since the most recent COVID19 booster vaccine or COVID19 infection prior to receiving a 2nd Booster.

Please phone the surgery at 045 432999 to arrange an appointment.

27/12/2022

New Year Resolutions....

People frequently come into the Clinic looking for 'a full check up.'

It's a very open ended idea - what can it usefully include ?

The things that are especially useful are....

1. Your exercise habit. 4-5 X (30 to 40) minute sesions of sufficient intensity to double your resting pulse, of anything that achieves this - walk/jogging, a gym work out, badminton, home gym, the swimming pool, cycling - ideally a mix of 2-3 of these is good. If you have no exercise habit, take a look at Dr Mike Evans fabulous You Tube Video '23 and a half hours' to get yourself off the couch !

2. Your Weight. Calculate your BMI using the www.safefood BMI calculator, and get into the habit of accurately checking your weight - weekly until you achieve your BMI of

16/09/2022

Dear All,

Just a final round up (and opportunity to donate) for the October ‘22 AHR (www.Atlantichumanitarianrelief.org) Mission to Syrian Refugee Camps in Northern Jordan.

Three of us volunteering on this will be doing a final brief talk as a lunchtime Zoom, with Q’s and As regarding final preparations for the Mission, which is running from Amman in Jordan in the first week in October.

You can click the link below and donate by purchasing a ticket /making a donation by secure credit card payment for any amount you wish.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/medical-mission-for-syrian-refugees-in-jordan-atlantic-humanitarian-relief-tickets-372185395537

The online event runs from 1-2 pm on Monday next (19/9/22).

Many thanks to all who have already generously donated, and we are going out with close to e14,000 plus donated medical and humanitarian supplies from Kildare.

Corinna Hopkins
Dorly O’Sullivan
Brendan O’Shea

Medical Mission For Syrian Refugees in Jordan - Atlantic Humanitarian Relief Presentation

28/08/2022

New Medical Treatment for Overweight / Obesity available at The Bridge Medical Centre.

Are you bothered by your weight ?

It's a real issue for over three quarters of all adults, and gets worse year by year.

We are excited to have commenced some people on long acting Liraglutide (Saxenda), which is a new, easy to use and highly effective medication.

It appears to achieve weight loss of c 10-15% per year for most people who use it.

It may be of relevance to you or yours if BMI is over 30, and particularly if you have any of the common conditions such as Diabetes, Hypertension (Blood Pressure), established Heart Disease, Depression or COPD, which are all known to frequently co exist with Overweight / Obesity.

Check out your BMI using the calculator on the wonderful Safe Food website (see below), just measure your height and weight.

Unfortunately, this medication is not yet covered by either the Medical Card or Long Term Drug Refund Scheme

(GET ONTO YOUR TD / County Counsellor !!)

It is expensive at present. Pharmacy costs are in the order of e 290 per month for standard dose. It also requires some long term monitoring at the Practice, which is an additional cost.

But in key respects, it is comparable in efficacy to Bariatric Surgery.

Both Trial Data and our own initial results are highly encouraging !!

If you're interested, call or email the practice, and explain you have an interest in Liraglutide / Saxenda.