Brief profile

The Project is aimed at developing a High Professional Immigration Body to foster a high level of integration of health and social services addressed to immigrants. It is a good examples of cooperation among different levels of public authorities, private associations, NGOs and voluntary staff.

http://www.regione.veneto.it/Servizi+alla+Persona/Sanita/Rap...

Background

The Veneto Region is situated in the north-east of the country and is divided into seven provinces. It covers 18 380 km2 and has a population of 4 773 554 people (Veneto Statistics Office, 2008a). Over the last 35 years, the population has increased by more than 600 000 residents. In the Veneto Region, 350 215 foreigners are listed as legal residents, which represents a twofold increase since 2001. The Region's resident legal immigrant population is about 12% of Italy's total legal immigrant population, which is 2 938 922 immigrants in a total population of 59 131 287 people. Today, legally resident foreigners comprise 7.3% of the Region’s population, a percentage that is higher than the national average (4.9%) and is one of the highest in Italy
According to the last Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) report, Padua Municipality has 19 661 immigrants, which represent 9.35%f the overall population (ISTAT, 2008). In 2006, the foreign population increased 10.9% (ISTAT, 2008); it is the second highest increase recorded in the Veneto Region (only Venice had a larger increase: 13.8% (ISTAT, 2008)).
The project has been implemented considering the last changes in patients seeking health and social services, changes characterized by:

• a growing number of foreign minors (as a result of a progressive permanent settlement of immigrants and family reunification) using the services and adult family members requesting specific services on behalf of their children, such as vaccinations against infectious diseases;

• a growing number of women (mothers and sisters of such minors) who approached the health unit for specific issues, such as pregnancy; and

• a significantly high number of illegal immigrants and cases of social isolation among such immigrant patients.

Methods

The High Professional Immigration Body of Local Health Authority 16 of Padua is a “unique body of its kind in Veneto and it has been considered a structure in the forefront even at a national level” (Veneto Region Immigration Observatory, 2006). It started its activities in 2004 in order to offer a complete pack of health services and social assistance specific to immigrants.

The High Professional Immigration Body is the result of a successful partnership of the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Padua, the Province of Padua, the LHA of Padua, schools and universities, and the non-profit-making or third sector.
In partnership with different actors in the Region, the High Professional Immigration Body has implemented the following specific services aimed at helping foreigners.

The staff involved in the High Professional Immigration Body functions are human resources already present in LHA 16: the specialists (such as gynaecologists, dermatologists, infectious disease specialists, paediatricians, psychologists and social assistant) and the nursing staff provide their services as extra work ensuring regular service. It is an example of a social network that works well due to the contribution of voluntary personnel involved. The only personnel assigned to the High Professional Immigration Body by the general management of LHA No. 16 are two administrative employees.
Cultural/language mediators hired by local Cooperatives and local NGO, also work with the staff of the High Professional Immigration Body. They cover Romanian, Arabic, Chinese and African speaking linguistic and cultural areas.

Results

The services offered by the HPIB are:

• The Listening Centre to help immigrants with or without a residence permit. Specialized staff provide information and health and social-orientation services. The Centre, with the aid of cultural mediators, provides information about the different aspects of health protection, such as: how to ask for an STP (card for temporary medical care); how to ask for a medical, paediatric or gynaecological examination; and what to do to get legal and/or social advice, but also intervene in health situations of repatriation of foreigners in collaboration with the embassies of reference

• A multi-ethnic unit for obstetrics and gynaecology, designed specifically for all female immigrants, is also available. In this unit, specialist nurses and gynaecologists provide such services as obstetric care, gynaecological care and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

• A unit for dermatology is also available for skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases;

• A units for community paediatrics is also available in all health and social district LHU 16 Padua; to provide paediatric examinations, vaccinations, antenatal classes and a support service for parents. The support service includes courses in preparation for birth and parenthood, with courses specifically for parents of children 0-12 months. Ad hoc professional advice and counselling are also provided.

• A communication programme organized in conjunction with mediators, aimed at informing immigrants about their right to health care. The following information booklets are produced by the High Professional Immigration Body:

- A Listening Centre for foreigners
- Are you sick? Remember that Health is a right
- I’m pregnant: a short guide to introduce immigrant mothers to birth
- The birth of a child
- Guidelines to health care for foreigners
- First aid manual for foreign workers

• Training courses on the management of immigrant patients. These courses are addressed to administrative employees that worked at the desks of LHA No. 16 and police headquarters.

Conclusions

The main success factors of this experience are:

i. Creation of a strong network among the local actors that worked with the immigrant population. The network was reinforced by the local context, where health and social integration was already present and the creation of a working group on immigration introduced in 2004 that meets monthly with institutional and third sector

ii. Communication is an essential instrument for building social capital. LHA No. 16 and the Municipality of Padua promoted the use of a network for internal communication, external communication and the sharing of information of public utility. This helped create the conditions required for service implementation.

iii. Need for cross-disciplinary governance that integrates public, private and third-sector actors, and allows them to establish learning processes to strengthen skills. The High Professional Immigration Body provides direction and control, but makes room for other actors to contribute whenever they have the skills and experience to intervene.

iv. Analysis of the target group’s needs should shape the definition and implementation of services. In Padua, interdisciplinary social workers assess the needs of the immigrant community. These social workers address directly the immigrant population and are the main channel for assessing needs.

Field of intervention

Living and working conditions

• Health care services

General socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions
(social and cultural values, policies etc.)

• Others: The project try to address immigrants trying to speak their language, respecting their culture, studying the functioning of the health system of their own country.

Age group

All age groups

Target group

• Migrants (e.g. asylum seekers, immigrants)

Settings

• Hospital

Contact