This year’s spring has accustomed us to sudden changes in weather and violent storms, but no one was prepared for the “storm” that hit many families on the morning of Monday 3 June when news started making the rounds city: “The San Martino Hospice in Como closes!”. The news had started circulating a few hours earlier on some social groups and was confirmed in the morning by the managers of the facility.
“This year we should have celebrated twenty years since the opening of the Hospice and, instead, we find ourselves facing its closure,” he confirmed to ComoZero Cristian Bellolipalliative care nurse and director of the facility” which has been managed by the ASP Consortium since 2010. The decision was taken “in light of management problems that have been going on for a long time”.
The San Martino Hospice is a palliative care socio-health facility accredited by the Lombardy Region with ten beds and considered a real flagship of the area.
Given the dismay of many people at the spread of the news, ATS Insubria and ASST Lariana immediately rushed to restart, issuing a joint note on the afternoon of Monday 3 June in which they wrote: “ASST Lariana has communicated to ATS Insubria its willingness to resume the property and the related management of the service as well as, with the appropriate procedures, to take charge of the staff” declares director Stucchi”.
An intervention to avoid closure even if it remains to be understood what will happen during the period of the change of management. ATS and ASST reassure that services and treatments will be guaranteed to patients without interruption, but do not specify whether transfers will be necessary and, above all, whether the facility will have to remain closed for a period (more or less long) during the transition from one management to another. Another question point is that relating to the entry of new guests: it is likely that, given the uncertainty, the structure will begin to no longer accept new entries.
This is in the face of a situation of chronic shortage of beds for palliative care.
Below is the joint note released on the afternoon of Monday 3 June by ATS Insubria and ASST Lariana
ATS Insubria and ASST Lariana are already working to monitor the critical issues reported by the service manager of the San Martino Hospice in Como. The Agency and the Company are collaborating to ensure that all expected services, treatments and assistance are provided to patients without any interruption: “Our priority is patients, therefore, we reassure citizens that the measures are being examined necessary to ensure the service” declare the general directors of ATS Insubria and ASST Lariana.
“ASST Lariana has communicated to ATS Insubria its willingness to take over the property and manage the related service as well as, with the appropriate procedures, to take charge of the staff” declares director Stucchi.
However, the current managers of the San Martino hospice have announced an open day meeting with citizens for June 29th during which to raise awareness of the importance of the service carried out within the hospice in recent years
