Healthcare service
Emilia-Romagna’s healthcare service comprises:
- 8 local health units
- 4 university hospitals
- 1 hospital trust
- 4 research hospitals
- 38 health districts
Historically, the Region of Emilia-Romagna has a strong system of public, territorial and community welfare: an “engine of development”.
Over time, the system has created good job opportunities and has reduced social and health inequalities, redistributing resources and fostering social inclusion although, in recent times, the economic crisis and sociodemographic changes have put the entire system under considerable strain.
The new 2017-2019 Regional Social and Health Plan is the result of a huge participatory process, involving more than 500 stakeholders, including representatives of healthcare and social institutions, the third sector, trade unions, associations and citizens. Shared by institutional and community actors alike, its main purpose is to foster innovation and consolidate an inclusive and participatory welfare system. People-centred and deeply-rooted in meeting their specific needs, it reaffirms the importance of the fundamental principles of universalism and equity in counteracting the social consequences of the economic crisis.
The key objective of the Regional Social and Health Plan is to tackle social challenges such as exclusion, frailty and poverty, through intersectoral approaches and the integration of different policies (social, health, housing, work, mobility and education).
The region has adopted the WHO vision of a world free of the avoidable burden of preventable diseases and the preventable burden of morbidity, mortality and disability, with the aim of eliminating these barriers to well-being and socio-economic development.
According to the Regional Social and Health Plan, improving primary healthcare services, thanks to the so-called “Case della Salute” facilities (community health centres) and health districts and the development of intersectoral, participatory initiatives in close collaboration with schools, local associations and local authorities, strongly contribute to the pursuit of these objectives.