Rotarians host free drop-in blood pressure clinic in Limerick city
LIMERICK CITY shoppers were able to have their blood pressure checked for free last weekend.
The Limerick North Munster Rotary Club, whose members provide service to others, set up shop in the Augustinian’s Church at O’Connell Street for the clinic.
More than 100 people dropped in to see the state of play of their health, with three doctors on hand, as the North Munster club teamed up with its counterparts in the Limerick-Shannon group.
Dr Kevin Kelleher, a former head of the public heath service, who carried out much of the testing, said: “It’s really important to get your blood pressure checked. High blood pressure is one of the main causes of stroke, and it can cause heart disease too. Getting people to have their blood pressure measured regularly and monitored is a great way to fend off these strokes.”
The Rotary Club has carried out these blood pressure checks for the last 25 years and Dr Kelleher said there has been big changes.
“When we started, there were a lot of people with very high blood pressure. Some people we sent to the hospital immediately. Now we are not seeing that at all,” he said.
Well-known local auctioneer Pat Kearney is the current president of the Limerick-North Munster club. He thanked the Augustinian order for allowing use of the church.
“We’ve had an awful lot of people coming through, and they were very grateful to get their blood checked free of charge.
People are very grateful for the opportunity to get an instant read-out of their blood pressure. And most people have left very happy,” added Mr Kearney.
One of those who got their pressure checked was Camilla Dwyer of Raheen, who said she has just started a “health kick”, saw the clinic and dropped in. That morning, she tried yoga for the first time!