Latest news with #KimJoyce
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
‘Heartbreak after heartbreak': Sallynoggin residents protest mouldy, damp council flat conditions
'They take their toys out to play, but they're covered in mould. They take their books out to read at night time, but they're covered in mould. They ask if they can have a play date or a sleepover, and I have to say no, because I'm terrified that another child is going to get sick. Everything has just been stripped away from the kids.' Katie Byrne lives in the Pearse maisonettes in Sallynoggin, south Dublin , with her partner and two children: a daughter aged 10 and a son aged 5. The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council - owned flat is a two-bedroom maisonette built in the 1950s that is mouldy and damp. When the family first moved in seven years ago, the flat was newly painted and felt fresh, but it didn't take long for the black mould to appear along skirting boards and around the windows. READ MORE Katie Byrne said dealing with the damp housing had been 'heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak'. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/ The Irish Times Kim Joyce and her daughter Romi (6) with tenants from Sallynoggin and surrounding areas protesting at the offices of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council about the conditions and maintenance of council homes. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/ The Irish Times While at the start, Byrne wiped it away and bought dehumidifiers, it did not keep the mould and damp at bay.. Now, black mould covers their blinds, mattresses, clothing, shoes, bed spread and even the couch. Byrne describes the 'constant sickness' that hangs over the home 'like a jail sentence'. Her son was discharged from hospital last week after contracting a fungal infection in his eye from the mould in his room; her daughter has had several perforated eardrums because of the high moisture levels in the house; and Byrne was hospitalised with pneumonia over the winter. 'When you're a mother, you want the best for your kids, but this is constant. They're sick, they're missing school, they can't go to activities. They can't go to birthday parties. They can't have a birthday party here, they can't have their friends over here,' she says. Byrne was among residents who protested at the offices of Dún Laoghaire -Rathdown County Council on Monday over their living conditions. Residents say the council homes are dangerous and not fit for habitation. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times The protest, organised by the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), aimed to put pressure on the council to rehouse tenants and make progress with plans for redevelopment. Protesters left a letter for council representatives outlining the 'unacceptable conditions' people were living in, 'particularly extreme dampness and mould', that were 'not being addressed through the existing housing maintenance procedures'. The letter asked for all residents of the maisonette flats in Sallynoggin and Monkstown Farm to be 'rehoused as a matter of urgency' and for a 'comprehensive retrofit programme' in council houses in Sallynoggin and Oratory Court. It also asked for a meeting between senior management within the council, residents and representatives from CATU, 'within four weeks'. Meanwhile, for residents like Byrne, the impact of their living conditions continues to take a toll on their day-to-day lives. 'It's just constant heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak,' Byrne says.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Allegheny County lab to help efficiently address public health threats
A brand new Allegheny County Public Health laboratory was unveiled on Monday. The $30 million state-of-the-art facility promises faster and more accurate testing for all public health concerns. Allegheny County officials and public health leaders cut the ribbon on a 40 thousand square foot public health laboratory that aims to detect, prevent and better respond to public health threats. 'This facility will play a critical role in identifying outbreaks, tracking emerging health threats and ensuring that timely, data driven decisions are made to protect the residents,' said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. The need for an upgraded and expanded facility became apparent during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. 'Our team had to move closet space and do everything to make do with whatever they could to get the smallest space in the lab to be able to do COVID testing,' said Kim Joyce, with the Allegheny County Health Department. Federal funding from the American Rescue Act helped pay for the multimillion-dollar lab, along with county funds. 'This new lab, it is a prime example of how we can best use federal funding, strategically to improve our counties health infrastructure,' said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. 'We will be able to very quickly and very nimbly be able to readjust our work flows to be able to provide testing for that particular infectious disease, environmental threat or any other public health threat,' said Dr. Iulia Vann, the director of the Allegheny County Health Department. The lab, located in Warrendale, was strategically placed to be easily accessible by highway and numerous counties. It's one of three in the state. 'Not only will [it] save lives, but it will reduce costs for other clinics, and it will make Allegheny County a regional hub for public health excellence,' Innamorato said. There will be a transitional period as the old labs close. The goal is to have everything operating from the Warrendale location by the end of June. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
