Croí, the Heart and Stroke Charity, is celebrating outstanding success at the Irish Healthcare Awards 2025, with four major wins.
The awards recognised excellence and innovation across the Irish healthcare sector, and Croí was honoured with four major awards and an additional shortlisting.
These awards are a reflection of the organisation’s innovation and impact in cardiovascular health, prevention, recovery and patient advocacy.
The IFA Farmer Health Checks programme, delivered in partnership with Croí and supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, has been named the Public Health Initiative of the Year at the 2025 awards.
The initiative also secured the prestigious Future of Medicine Award, recognising its impact and innovation in improving health outcomes for the farming community.
The citation read: “The judges said that this innovation delivers healthcare to farmers where they live and work, supported by impressive data and materials.”
“They regarded it as one of the best initiatives that they have seen, noting its patient-centred approach and the effectiveness of delivering services to a traditionally neglected population through a pilot programme”.
The programme concluded in October, surpassing its target of providing 2,000 health checks across 30 locations nationwide.
This marks the second year of the initiative, delivered by IFA and Croí and supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine.
Croí and the Global Heart Hub’s Women’s Heart Health Campaign (‘Fatal Searches’ / ‘Her Final Search’), delivered in collaboration with Weber Shandwick, took home two prestigious awards.
These are the Patient Advocacy Project of the Year and Patient Education Project of the Year awards.
This powerful campaign shone a spotlight on the gender gap in women’s heart health awareness and outcomes, encouraging women to recognise and act on the symptoms of heart disease.
In addition, Croí’s Stroke Rebuild Programme, developed by Croí’s Health Team, was shortlisted for Outpatient Care Initiative of the Year. This innovative programme supports stroke survivors in rebuilding their lives and returning to independence following a stroke.
Speaking on the success, Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive of Croí, said, “We are incredibly proud to see our work recognised on a national stage. These awards reflect not only the innovation and impact of our programmes but also the dedication of our entire team, from our staff to our volunteers and partners.”
“Everything we achieve is through collaboration and collective effort, and these honours belong to everyone who contributes to Croí’s mission to prevent heart disease and stroke”.
The variety of Croí initiatives recognised, from community programmes to patient advocacy, education, and rehabilitation, highlights the breadth of Croí’s work and the depth of commitment across its entire team.
