The Rizzoli Rehabilitation Orthopaedic Hospital in Argenta celebrates the first year of activity. The centre was born on 28 February 2022 from the collaboration between IOR and AUSL of Ferrara in order to create an integrated orthopaedic network in the area and ensure excellent care in the vicinity of the patient thus reducing health mobility. The focus of the activity was: training event addressed to the staff of the health companies ferraresi entitled "A year of integration between the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute (IRCCS) and the USL Company of Ferrara", and which was held today at the Centro Culturale Polivalente Cappuccini in Argenta.

At the event Raffaele Donini, Council member to the policies for the health of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Andrea Baldini mayor of Argenta, Monica Calamai general manager Company USL of Ferrara and extraordinary commissioner of the Hospital-University of Ferrara and Anselmo Campagna general director of  Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute (IRCCS), in addition to some health managers of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the USL Company of Ferrara and Rizzoli

"A year of success as evidenced by the numbers: in a year over a thousand surgery, even in emergency, and almost 10 thousand outpatient services between 5.755 orthopedic visits and over 3.354 physical and rehabilitation benefits for the citizens of Ferrara" says Councillor Donini, who stresses: "It is an excellence that through the collaboration with AUSL and the arrival of almost 90 professionals, has found an important location in Argenta to bring the excellence of orthopedics to citizens with three clinics in the territory, including paediatric orthopaedics, and in the hospital - over 11 million is planned for the redevelopment of the Emergency Department, the creation of a new pavilion and the establishment of a Territorial Operations Centre (COT) with the necessary technological innovations".

The Councillor Donini also launches an appeal for public health: "We will not give up in defence of public and universalistic health, of which our Region represents a point advanced in Italy, and to do so requires financial sustainability and better prospects for health workers to achieve three objectives: quality of life and work of professionals, taken in charge in the shortest possible time in the best possible structure, and extension of the proximity network also through the dissemination of skills on the territory".

"The Rizzoli Centre in Argenta enriches the territory - with an important investment in human resources, logicist aspects and technological equipment - but it is also a project included in a broader vision to redesign the overall health planning on the territory" says the director of the ‘Ferrarese’ health companies Calamai, that she also highlights: "The data about the activity of the Centre is excellent and shows that it was a good choice but we don’t stop there: changing organizational models and putting skills in synergy is a goal to be pursued strongly to support public health in terms of equity and proximity. This is a moral duty, I really thank health professionals and professionals for their commitment".

"The investment on Argenta is measurable thorough the activity data but the numbers are not enough to give a sense of commitment - emphasizes the general director of Rizzoli Campagna - the real added value is the collaboration that has been created between the teams of Rizzoli professionals and the internal teams of the hospital to increase the level of multidisciplinarity. The Rizzoli, as an orthopaedic hub at an international level that develops in detached locations, has respond to the challenge of giving a qualified response in public facilities, ensuring skills and technologies on the territory without having to move outside the regional borders, that objective would not have been possible without the collaboration with the doctor Calamai and the mayor Baldini".

"Having excellence as the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in our territory, as hospital 'spread' to respond to the health needs of the citizens, with a well-rounded patient care, is a big pride" comments Mayor Baldini, who says "happy to be able to draw up a balance sheet of the first year of activity in a place of culture such as the Cappuccini center".

Rizzoli-Argenta Rehabilitation Orthopaedic Centre

The Center has three orthopedic clinics (in Argenta, Copparo and Casa della Salute Cittadella San Rocco in Ferrara) for patients who have to carry out orthopedic examination with specialists of Rizzoli, in order to be eventually made the surgery in Argenta.

For hospitalisation, the Orthopaedic Center has 3 beds of Semi-intensive Care, 24 beds Orthopedics, 6 beds of Rehabilitation Medicine and 6 beds of Peri-operative Medicine.The hospitalisation activity in the orthopaedic department is represented by 38% of primary prosthetic interventions and revisions (hip, knee, ankle, upper limb and revisions).

From 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2023, 1.062 orthopaedic hospitalizations were performed: 867 under ordinary (82%) and 188 in Day Surgery (18%); 74 admissions were made in Emergency (7% of the total). A waiting list for surgeries has been created, currently numbering 351 patients.

From June 2022 to February 28, 2023, AUSL Perioperative Medicine performed 43 admissions, of which 23 in Emergency (53% of the total).

Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine had 161 admissions.

From July 2022 is open semi-intensive therapy with 3 beds for the care of more complex patients.

From September 2022, the pediatric orthopaedic surgery was started at the Casa della Salute/Comunità Cittadella San Rocco in Ferrara; the first surgical interventions on pediatric orthopaedic patients were performed in December 2022. Also from September 2022 is active the path of Outpatient orthopedic surgery IOR.

Outpatient activity: from November 2021 to February 2023 were performed 5755orthopaedic visits and 3354 physical and rehabilitation services.

Healthcare personnel acquired (on 28 February) following the start of the project:

•    12 orthopaedics (including Operations Unit Manager)
•    6 anaesthetists (including Module Manager) assisted by professionals from the IOR headquarters in Bologna
•    3 physiatrists (including Unit Manager)
•    97 health profiles (nurses, physiotherapists and OSS) Ausl in functional assignment to the IOR Argenta: of these, 67 are actual enhancements related to the project (30 were professionals already present at the garrison of Argenta)
•    from July 2022, the presence of an anesthesiologist is guaranteed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hospital renovations

This event is the occasion in order to make the point on the intense activities of adaptation and requalification of the First Aid of Argenta, financed for 1,1 million euros with deep (ex DL 34/2020, re-entered then in the PNRR); among all, the connected projects to the PNRR in the chapter "Argenta towards a safe and sustainable hospital" with an investment of 13.5 million: construction of a new pavilion; construction of the Territorial Operations Centre (COT); modernization of the technological and digital park.

The Emergency Room

We are revisiting the redevelopment project of the Emergency Room working on internal paths and spaces dedicated to waiting in line with what has already been planned and extending the adaptation of the plants also to the area of radiology; This remodulation is in line with the future development of the hospital, which will be fully strengthened following the construction of the new pavilion (where the Emergency Room and Radiology will be transferred). The spaces now occupied by the Emergency Room and radiology, where the new plants will be built, can be dedicated to the expansion of outpatient services. The structural interventions are accompanied by technological equipment: in fact, a portable radiological diagnosis of First Aid has been acquired for an amount of 82 thousand euros.

The new pavilion

Also as part of PNRR there are provided 11.1 million for the construction of a new pavilion with the dual purpose: improving seismic safety and have a pavilion "green", with limited energy consumption and reorganize the entire hospital.

 The work includes:

•    the demolition of two buildings, built before the current seismic standards, for which any adaptation or improvement would be ineffective in terms of results and not economically viable;
•    the construction of a new building in compliance with current regulations that will house: in the basement changing rooms for staff and technological premises; on the ground floor first aid and the hot room, radiology and diagnostic imaging activities, areas dedicated to rehabilitation; on the first floor spaces dedicated to hospitalization, for a total of 52 beds;
•    the construction of the building and plant necessary to ensure the connection and continuity of the new building with the hospital complex.
•    The construction of the road access to the Emergency Room and its parking, as well as the redevelopment of outdoor areas

So, safe and sustainable hospital. The whole process of construction will take place with minimal impact on the environment. With regard to the issue of containing energy consumption, the new building will be of a typology attributable to the NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) classification, that is, to very low consumption, almost zero energy.

Implementation times are based on the deadlines provided by the PNRR, which provides for the validation of the final project by 31/03/2023, and the completion of the work by 31/01/2026.

By 31 March the final project will be approved according to the programming and then the contracting undertaking will prepare the executive project and start the work.

As a result of the general reorganization, the other buildings will be used for outpatient and day-time activities.

The New Territorial Operations Centre (COT)

In addition to the improvement of hospital care, there is also a new model of territorial assistance thanks to the creation of a Territorial Operations Centre (COT), also provided by the PNRR. It is a structure that performs a function of coordination of the taking charge of the person and connection between services and professionals in order to ensure continuity, accessibility and integration of health and social care.

The structural equipment (operating rooms, rooms and work spaces for staff; plant engineering and networks serving equipment and computer systems) will be accompanied by the necessary technological equipment.

The construction times are based on the deadlines set by the PNRR, which provided for the conclusion of the design by 31/12/2022.

The procedures for the award of the works (about 90 thousand euros) are in progress and will be launched as soon as the award is completed.

Modernization of the technology and digital park

For the Argenta hospital is expected an investment of 1.1 million to the acquisition of high-quality MRI and an ultrasound scan. In addition, for the operation of the COT are provided management software, ECG, holter pressor, wearable devices for motion tracking and smartwatches, portable ultrasound, stethoscopes and digital otoscopes.

Important investments are provided also for the Intensive care of Rizzoli, for which have already been acquired equipment for 413 thousand euros, to which will be added another 164 thousand euros for the equipment.

(joint press release by Azienda USL of Ferrara and IRCCS Rizzoli Ortopaedic Institute)