Creating an Outpatients Clinic for Immigrant Children in Rome at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital

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Project location: Italy, Rome
Project start date: January 2013 - Project end date: December 2013
Project number: 2012-111
Beneficiary: Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù - Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus

Over the past twenty years globalization and migration phenomenons are changing Italian society towards a multicultural one. Today the flow of the immigrant children in Italy is steadily increasing to reach about 8% of the Italian population. The cultural, religious and social differences of these children are creating difficulties in their integration and adaptation into Italian society. This phenomenon is reflected on many daily aspects of immigrant children's life: at home, school, and even with their health care personnel. 
Usually, the immigrant children remain exposed to household contacts either in Italy or when they came back to their countries for holidays, As is the case for migrant children which are exposed to tuberculosis by contact with family members coming from countries with high TB endemicity. In these aspects, it should be added that immigrant children (born in Italy, immigrants with their families or adopted), in most cases, are often coming from disadvantaged backgrounds (degradation, poverty, or orphanages) and are faced with a lifestyle completely different from the one of their homes. Finally, for those who arrive in facilitated conditions (State officials or international officials, tourism, etc.), there is a great difficulty to find qualified medical personnel and facilities, able to respond appropriately to their needs.
For this reason, the IRCCS Bambino Gesù based on its extensive experience in direct management of migrant children,proposed to open the first center dedicated to health issues for such categories of children.

The main activities of this center will focus on:

1. Health care promotion through facilitating immigrant children integration into the NHS, as well as responding to the needs of emigrating children;
2. Signing conventions with Ministry of Health, Scientific Societies (SIP, SIM), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Organizations, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs),  etc, to set up a multidisciplinary team able to respond to humanitarian emergencies for children in Italy and all over the world;
Ensuring a regional paediatric care for migrants children through conventions with the ASL (other hospital), private (Embassies, Caritas, Institutes, etc..), NGOs, and other;
3. Set up of computer facilities created ‘ad hoc' as a computer desk on the hospital's home page, creation of email+website, a phone number, and a service within the hospital for this user;
4. Reference Center for training and research for all aspects related to the migrant children, through training courses for health personnel (Doctors, Psychologists, Nurses) and non-medical personnel (cultural mediators, volunteers, etc.);
Monitoring research projects at national and International level about this topic;
5. Awareness on University (faculty of medicine and health profession), Occupational schools (for mediators, volunteers, etc.) about transcultural medicine.

Timetable:
June/July 2012: An information and awareness campaign about the creation of the "Outpatients clinic for migrant child ", through signing conventions with other institutions; create brochures on the activities of the service, and by direct communication to other services and institutions; create a website linked to www.ospedalebambinogesu.it
September/October 2012: Inauguration of the center, Clinical care and support, and organisation of training courses for Paediatrics, Nurses, Psychology, and non-medical personal;
October/September 2013: Develop protocols of care for immigrant and adopted children;
October/September 2014: Publication of scientific papers on the activities of the center.

This project received a grant from the Nando Peretti Foundation. Its aims are the following.

1. Increasing the number of immigrant children examined;
2. Definition of protocols for care of immigrant and adopted children ;
3. Activities conducted under foreign support in the context of humanitarian interventions;
4. Become a National Reference Center for Migrants Child Health and subsequently to the international level;
5. Collaborate with institutions and non-profit organization concerned promoting children's rights specially the right to receive health care;
6. Bringing out health needs of migrant children to set up reference protocols for ASL, Paediatric Hospital, and Sanitary team for management of such children.