Evaluation of EMERGENCY’s socio-health care interventions in support of the vulnerable population of urban suburbs in Sardinia and Campania

Title Programma ITALIA 

Location Castelvolturno, Napoli Ponticelli, Sassari – Italy

Duration 1 year (2024)

Client EMERGENCY

Funding Fondo Beneficienza Intesa Sanpaolo

 

Context

EMERGENCY’s Programma ITALIA was set up in 2006. Despite the right to health being listed as a fundamental right in the Italian Constitution and the Italian health system being inspired by a model based on universal health coverage, the most vulnerable groups do not always enjoy full access to healthcare services, and therefore to health. The universalist component of public services is the fundamental pillar of healthcare in Italy, and EMERGENCY’s approach to health starts precisely from the universalism of care and the need to make public services accessible.

The Programma ITALIA includes multiple projects across the country that offer fixed or mobile clinics from Marghera to Sassari, from Milan to Naples, from Castelvolturno to Ragusa. In all these contexts EMERGENCY offers different services according to need, all aimed at facilitating access to the services that the Italian National Health Service should guarantee. This leads to a territorial action that seeks synergies with public institutions in order to offer a service that is fully integrated. All the interventions of the Programma ITALIA are related to the strengthening of Primary Health Care as a universal health model, through the facilitation of access to the Italian NHS.

Primary Health Care is a comprehensive approach to health that incorporates three interconnected and synergistic components:

  • People’s health needs are met through a process of care that provides lifelong care. Priority is given to key health services for individuals and families through primary care and for the population through public health institutions.
  • Systematic management of all broader determinants of health (social, economic and contextual) takes place through informed policies and cross-cutting actions.
  • Empowerment of women, men, families and communities focuses on optimising health and involving people in policies that promote health and well-being.

 

General Objective

The Inclusive Development Unit was involved to carry out the evaluation of the projects promoted by  EMERGENCY’s Programma ITALIA that received funding from Fondo Intesa Sanpaolo, specifically these are:  clinics in Naples Ponticelli, Castel Volturno and Sassari.

 

Our contribution

In order to evaluate the project’s interventions, Researchers used the framework “Accessibilità alle cure” developed by Levesque et al 2013 which allows for the evaluation of both factors related to the ‘supply’ of care services and the ‘demand’ for care.

The methodology is based on the application of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, which allow to capture complex phenomena in an integrated and comprehensive analysis. In particular, the methodology involves both the collection of qualitative primary data, through interviews and focus groups, and the analysis of secondary data provided by the project staff.

In order to deepen the characteristics of the context of the project activities and to study the change that the project generates in the communities of reference in terms of users’ well-being and better access to the NHS, the research team involved the project staff in participatory activities.

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