The Emergency Room (Pronto Soccorso in Italian) is an invaluable medical service, saving lives and treating illnesses, often in high-pressure circumstances for the doctors and nurses involved. Florence-based non-profit organization Amici del Pronto Soccorso, which was recently turned into a foundation, was established in 2014 to provide medical and social help to emergency rooms at Careggi University Hospital and other hospitals in Tuscany.
The foundation is helmed by sisters Elisabetta Bardelli, as president, and Claudia Bardelli, as vice president, who launched the Amici di Firenze – Now it’s our turn crowdfunding campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising nearly 400,000 euro, which helped emergency rooms at the height of the crisis. Following suggestions made by Professor Stefano Grifoni, head of the emergency medicine and admissions department of the Careggi Hospital and technical director of Amici del Pronto Soccorso, the funds were used to purchase ultrasound scanners for diagnosis, blood gas analyzers and respirators.
“Today we must not forget the heroism of our doctors and nurses during the pandemic,” comments Elisabetta Bardelli, a longstanding philanthropist who is also an ambassador of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. “We must not lose the gratitude we showed towards them then. They look after our health every day, putting love and passion into what they do. My team and I intend to do the same for them with tangible actions in order to provide the best care and assistance to those who need it and who are in a difficult situation.”
The mission of the Amici del Pronto Soccorso Foundation is flanked by private residence club Palazzo Tornabuoni, which has generously offered to organize a fundraising event in June 2023. This is an important step towards reaching the amount needed to purchase two specific ultrasound scanners, which will enable a range of health issues to be detected in a timely and non-invasive manner, speeding up the diagnosis.
Scientific research and training for healthcare professionals is another priority for the foundation. The Amici del Pronto Soccorso Foundation has recently financed a master’s degree course at La Sapienza University in Rome, which concentrates on critical patient management during traumatic and catastrophic events, for students who lack the economic means to continue their studies. Providing care for the elderly is another major focus for the foundation, in addition to raising awareness of road safety in schools to lower the pressure on emergency rooms.
Angela Carpio, Francesco Patanè, Guido Ciompi, Matteo Guidi, Matteo Parigi Bini and Giuseppe Cristiani form the new board of directors of the Amici del Pronto Soccorso Foundation.
