Pat Buckley says there has been a lack of urgency in responding to concerns over the planned closure of the centre from the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and his department.
The centre with 19 long term residents on the grounds of Midleton Community Hospital is due to close at the end of next month due to the poor state of the building, however residents and their families say the centre provides a vital service and are calling for it to remain open while a new centre is built.
The Chief Officer of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare Michael Fitzgerald told an Oireachtas Committee last week that the 30th of October closure date is not set in stone.
Speaking to RedFM News, Cork East TD Pat Buckley says urgent clarity is needed from the HSE:
"The fear, the anxiety is very high at the moment. I've done a lot of public meetings private meetings over the years on mental health- that public meeting a number of weeks ago in Middleton was probably the saddest meeting I was ever at in my life. Some of the patients inside, when informed, were very, very upset, and it's the fear of losing their freedom, and having that choice and that right and that freedom to come and go when they want. The families are terrified. There's no clarity on where these people are going to be sent."
