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SYSTEM OVERLOAD: The public health system was creaking before the pandemic - has Covid-19 broken it?
Ireland
At the start of 2021, Ireland had a backlog of thousands of positive Covid-19 tests awaiting validation.
8 Backers raised €355 of €1840
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DAY IN DAY OUT: What has the impact of reduced day services been on people with disabilities?
Ireland
Day services for people with disabilities were badly hit by the pandemic, by first closing their doors for a number of months, and then reopening at a reduced capacity.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1940
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RADON AWARE: Is the State doing enough to protect families from this cancer-causing dangerous gas?
Ireland
Radon is a radioactive gas linked to 300 lung cancer cases each year in Ireland – the second largest cause after smoking - with one-third of the country classified as a high radon area by the EPA.
1 Backer raised €7 of €1620
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GOING TO BED HUNGRY: Is the State tackling food poverty?
Ireland
People go to bed hungry in Ireland every day with one in ten households here experiencing food poverty - being unable to get healthy affordable food.
2 Backers raised €50 of €1950
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BURNOUT: Is the growth of incinerators for toxic waste in Ireland a danger to our health?
Ireland
Ireland lacks the capacity to process hazardous waste, most of which is exported abroad, with plans to increase domestic management outlined in the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan.
1 Backer raised €5 of €2190
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TOUGH START: Is the opportunity gap for Traveller children ever going to close?
Ireland
Children in the Irish Traveller community are at a disadvantage from the moment they are born. Infant mortality is over three times higher, suicide is six to seven times higher and life expectancy is over a decade lower than the general population.
40 Backers raised €1265 of €2130
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FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?
Ireland
The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.
35 Backers raised €933 of €2720
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POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism
Ireland
Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.
14 Backers raised €378 of €5000
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IN LIMBO: Why are people left in hospitals and nursing homes instead of rehab?
Ireland
Though the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) recently moved into a new building, spinal cord and brain injury survivors remain on long waiting lists for specialist rehabilitation.
4 Backers raised €60 of €1730
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CAPTIVES OF COVID: What will be the long-term impact of cocooning on the high risk groups who are isolating from the world?
Ireland
At the end of March 2020, people at high risk from Covid-19 were advised to stay at home and ‘cocoon’. The ‘do not leave your house’ lockdown for this group lasted almost six weeks, but months later, many of these same people are still at home, avoiding workplaces and turning away visitors.
3 Backers raised €45 of €1150
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RED FLAG: Is swimming off Ireland's coast under threat from pollution?
Ireland
While 90% of our bathing water is classed as excellent or good, a wave of swimming bans have hit beaches across the country due to water quality issues linked to pollution problems and our changing climate.
19 Backers raised €420 of €2600
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SILENT TREATMENT: Are people with eating disorders being failed by the public health system?
Ireland
The HSE is currently implementing a national clinical programme for eating disorders but there have been significant issues with its roll-out, with less than 5% of the €3.1 million budget used in 2018 and 2019.
9 Backers raised €305 of €1840
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BIRTH PLACE: Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?
Ireland
In 2015, the National Maternity Strategy said “there is a lack of choice for expectant mothers” by international standards. It proposed a model of care that “represents a fundamental overhaul of services” which are currently “largely consultant-led and hospital-based”.
17 Backers raised €640 of €2030
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SHUTTING THE DOOR: Will the pandemic make it even harder for people with disabilities to get jobs in Ireland?
Ireland
With the lowest rate of employment for people with disabilities in the EU, Ireland does not have a good track record in this area. Now with the added economic stresses of Covid-19, many campaigners are worried that the situation will only get worse.
6 Backers raised €230 of €1340
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NIL BY MOUTH: Why are patients still eating poor quality hospital food?
Ireland
Poor quality hospital food has been highlighted by patient advocates as an issue for decades but Covid-19 isolation measures and a lack of visitors have made this problem even more stark.
9 Backers raised €260 of €1540
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PANDEMIC UNPLANNED: Will the Irish health system be better prepared for the next emergency?
Ireland
Covid-19 caught most countries off guard with lack of PPE, ventilators and testing capabilities reported all over the world. So how do we ensure this doesn’t happen in the event of another crisis?
3 Backers raised €38 of €1940
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COVID CONSCIOUSNESS: Can we prevent a pandemic-induced mental health crisis in Ireland?
Ireland
Irish society is set to come out the other side of this pandemic as an altogether changed nation. Never before in our recent history has a health crisis dealt us such a heightened level of anxiety, separation and grief in such a short timespan.
11 Backers raised €280 of €847
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TRAPPED WITH TORMENTORS: How can we protect people from abuse and violence during the pandemic?
Ireland
During this pandemic, home is a place of refuge and safety for most of us. But for thousands of women, men and children, home feels like the most dangerous place they could be.
16 Backers raised €720 of €700
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CARING FOR CARERS: What’s life like for care workers in the coronavirus crisis?
Ireland
As Ireland grapples with the fallout from Covid-19, we want to see how one group of frontline workers - home carers - are faring, particularly when it comes to their pay and conditions.
20 Backers raised €1375 of €1375
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Open
LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?
Ireland
The government’s Climate Action Plan aims to increase reliance on renewables from 30% to 70%. Part of this drive would involve increasing renewable onshore wind energy capacity to a level that equates to introducing over 1,150 more wind turbines to the landscape.
11 Backers raised €260 of €2060
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UNLUCKY FOR SOME: Is bingo causing gambling addiction?
Ireland
In 2019, the Government proposed to reduce the amount of bingo proceeds that go to bingo operators from 40% to 25%. After a protest at the Dáil by around 50 bingo players who said that the new laws could lead to the closure of bingo halls around Ireland, the proposal was abandoned. A different version of the Gaming and Lotteries Bill was ultimately passed by the Oireachtas.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1510
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HEALERS OR QUACKS: Are we protecting cancer patients from fake cancer cures?
Ireland
Every hour in Ireland, a person dies from cancer. The disease is the biggest killer in the country, accounting for one in four of all deaths.
3 Backers raised €45 of €1890
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ASSESSING AUTISM: Why is the wait time for ASD assessments over a year longer than legally required?
Ireland
Research shows that early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills.
19 Backers raised €390 of €2100
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NOWHERE TO TURN: Have Irish people died because they can't access out-of-hours mental health care?
Ireland
Acute mental health services are under increasing pressure across Ireland with out-of-hours care being identified as a major issue in many reports.
4 Backers raised €145 of €2200
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HEAD IN THE GAME: Is the GAA doing enough to tackle concussion?
Ireland
Concussion was highlighted as a “big issue” by the previous director general of the GAA in 2017 when he raised concerns that no medical personnel are present at most local games.
1 Backer raised €10 of €2060
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PARKING PRESSURE: Why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?
Ireland
Patients, visitors, and staff of Irish hospitals are forking out over €60,000 every day to park at hospitals around the country. In 2017, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.
1 Backer raised €10 of €1400
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SELLING OUR GENES: Should the Government be funding a private company to collect 400,000 Irish people’s DNA?
Ireland
Personal data is big business - and nothing is more personal than our genetic blueprint.
74 Backers raised €2300 of €2300
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RISK TO BABY: Why were Irish women not told for decades about an epilepsy drug that causes birth defects?
Ireland
Sodium valproate is an epilepsy medicine commonly sold under the name Epilim. It was known since its availability in the 1970s that it may cause birth defects if used in pregnancy yet for decades many women across the world were prescribed this drug without being warned of this risk by their doctors.
4 Backers raised €185 of €1500
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ADDICTION BY PRESCRIPTION: Why are so many anti-anxiety medications prescribed in Ireland?
Ireland
In September 2019, the Irish Medical Council warned doctors about over-prescribing of a range of highly addictive drugs.
2 Backers raised €90 of €1450
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LAST RESORT: Why can't Irish hospitals get the most dangerous superbug under control?
Ireland
A public health emergency was declared by the Health Minister Simon Harris over years ago to control the spread of a superbug, CPE, resistant to the most powerful last-resort antibiotics. In spite of this, the number of patients with the bug has continuously increased.
0 Backers raised €0 of €1050
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VAPING NATION: Are teenagers being targeted by the vaping industry in Ireland?
Ireland
Although a relatively new phenomenon, almost 200,000 Irish people regularly vape with another 600,000 having tried an e-cigarette at some stage. Globally, the number of adults who vape is expected to reach almost 55 million by 2021.
0 Backers raised €0 of €2250
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POSTCODE LOTTERY: Does where you live in Ireland determine what kind of healthcare you receive?
Ireland
Access to healthcare in Ireland can vary depending on where in the country you live. Local HSE and hospital budgets often determine whether people have access to medical treatment, equipment and other specialist services.
1 Backer raised €100 of €1900
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FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?
Ireland
Around one in six couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.
17 Backers raised €450 of €950
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A BITTER PILL: Why are medicines so expensive in Ireland and how much are we paying for them compared to our EU neighbours?
Ireland
The Government spends almost €3 billion on medicines every year which makes up 13% of the entire health budget.
3 Backers raised €50 of €1350
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SPEAK OR SURVIVE? Are survivors of sexual abuse properly supported when they come forward?
National
At least one in four people experience sexual abuse in childhood. About 80 per cent are abused by a person known to them; most often, a family member.
48 Backers raised €1440 of €1410
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PARENT RIGHTS: Why are same-sex couples and other parents still in legal limbo with their own children?
Ireland
Half a decade after Ireland’s historic marriage equality vote, many same-sex couples and so-called ‘non-traditional families’ still face discrimination when it comes to their rights as parents.
24 Backers raised €751 of €750
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PRICE OF BEAUTY: Are people taking a risk when they opt for dermal fillers?
National
Dermal fillers have become one of the treatments of choice for people in Ireland wanting to rid themselves of wrinkles.
1 Backer raised €900 of €900
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FOLLOWING THE HERD: Why are Meningitis C vaccination rates so far behind target in parts of Ireland?
National
For many parents, the word meningitis is enough to send shivers down their spine.
2 Backers raised €353 of €350
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LATE INTERVENTION: Why does it take over two years to get early intervention appointments for some children?
Ireland
Across the country, there are thousands of young children in need of early intervention.
9 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
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Completed
PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: The mental health crisis in the Defence Forces.
National
Almost a year ago, the only psychiatrist working in the Defence Forces retired from his post.
2 Backers raised €252 of €250
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