The Local Health Authority of Empoli, Florence, is made up from 15 different municipalities. It has about 240.000 inhabitants. It is part of new born Local Health Authority “Toscana Centro”. For Primary Care we have 2 different kind of structure in our territory:
1) Società della salute = Health Society.
2)Casa della Salute = Heath House = Community Health Center
The Health Society tries to merge the health services of the LHA with the social services of Commons – Municipalities. This is because the “silver tsunami” and the “chonic epidemic” increase as the demand for health care needs as the demand for social needs. If we melt together the health and the social intervention, we increase the health level and provide cost savings. Recently an assessment of the Health Society, led the Regional Policy Administration to declare to overcome this society. This is because the society did not work out the best in all parts of Tuscany and sometimes it was just a political structure that is only over the already existing one, without bringing any benefit to the health of the population, but rather sometimes increasing management costs. It remains an open question of how to integrate health interventions with social needs for the population.
The second approach to primary care is more structural, “Case della Salute – CDS” literally: the homes of healthcare. They are practically Centres for Health Care. (CHC) The CHC is the buildings in which work together family physicians with paediatricians, nurses, administrative personnel, social workers, social care workers and medical specialists. In the absence of medical specialists there is a tele-medicine service. Of course, each CHC can have, in addition, to these basic services, other services such as continuity of care 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, the first-aid service, a nursing home, a community hospital, an hospice, etc. ….
The population served is normally between 5,000 and 20,000 inhabitants. Both structures are mobilized to welcome migrants. In particular, the CHC and the doctors who work there H24 visit them both on their first arrival later when they are placed in the various communities. Migrants and other immigrant groups are about 8 % of whole population.
The home page of website (www.usl11.toscana.it ) contents a part for community health centers (CHC). CHCs in Tuscany, Florence. CHCs and their associated physician staff (particularly General Practitioners) receive new arrival migrants and visit migrant locations to deliver health services Website
Local Health Authority: http://goo.gl/HiXdbd
Community Health Centers: http://goo.gl/BIRnIi
Community Heath Center of Empoli: http://goo.gl/BIRnIi
Work Package Participating in: WP1, WP2, WP3, WP4 , WP5, WP6 , WP7
Dr. Piero Salvadori, Project Manager
Ilaria Monici