The 2009 Trinity Med Day will take place on Friday, November 6th. This year the students will be supporting the Stroke Unit at St James’s Hospital and Dublin Mental Health Recovery Services. The Med Day Committee, made up of 4th year medical students, have arranged an action-packed event this year to ensure worthy causes benefit from the annual students’ day of fun, games and fundraising. Volunteers will start their day by donning their white coats and taking to the streets of Dublin to collect donations. Daytime events will take place on campus at Trinity College and include inflatable bungee running, gladiator jousting, sumo wrestling and the ‘Super Cup’ soccer tournament. They have also organised a free health screening service, which has kindly been supported by Pfizer Healthcare Ireland which will take place on campus and is open to the general public. Med Day Chairperson, Michael Durand (a 4th medical student currently on rotation in Tallaght Hospital), said: “It will be great to see the entire medical student body brought together. We are thrilled to have an opportunity to help the patients that we learn so much from.”
Med Day will support the hospital’s stroke service by raising funds to purchase vital equipment for the management of dysphagia, a potentially life-threatening complication of stroke. Dr Joe Harbison, Consultant Geriatrician, said “Thanks to the medical and nursing students we will be one step closer to our ultimate aim this year – to care for our patients with safety, dignity and comfort, and to improve outcomes.”
St. James’s Hospital admits between 400 and 450 stroke patients annually from all over Ireland – more than is admitted to any other hospital in the state. The hospital is focused on supporting stroke patients by developing organised specialist care and, since 2006, has reduced the one month mortality from 18% to 11% and the average length of stay has been reduced by seven days. The hospital aims to fundraise €250,000 before the end of 2010 to provide a range of specialist facilities that will enable further improvements to the stroke service and ensure outcomes consistent with best practice throughout the world.
The 2009 Med Day Committee are Michael Durand (Chairperson), Sinead O’Shaughnessy (Secretary), Blaire Mulvey (Treasurer), Ariane Gill, Nicky McAlister, Mathew Mullins and Ikpeme Ukpong Neto.
