Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement this week of a Jigsaw project for Tipperary based in Thurles. It has been long sought and we are pleased to hear of it. However, it will not be any use to towns such as Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Borrisokane and areas of north Tipperary unless outreach is provided in those towns and villages. The mental health situation in Tipperary is chronic, especially since the Government closed St. Michael's in 2012. We do not have a single long-stay bed in the county for people suffering from mental health. We have a huge crisis, a drugs epidemic and associated issues. People are dying every week, and more often in some cases, due to mental health issues. We need the services to be developed in tandem with the Jigsaw project in Thurles. We cannot wait in those towns and villages.

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