SuPrEme Italia and PIU SuPrEme
Starting from March 2020, according to what was envisaged first by the "SuPrEme Italia" Project (FAMI EMAS 2014/2020 - Ministry of Labour and Social Policies - General Management for Immigration and Integration Policies) and then by the "PIU SuPrEme" Project (PON Inclusion 2014/2020), AReSS has been, by delegation of the Apulia Region engaged in the implementation of health and social-health interventions ('Integrated assistance, care and treatment measures in order to safeguard the health and promote the social inclusion of legally present migrants living in conditions of severe vulnerability') in favour of migrants living in informal settlements (ghettos) of the regional territory and of Capitanata in particular.
In short, health and socio-health outreach interventions are implemented on site, enhancing the logic of proximity and place-based services, as they are provided in favour of so-called hard-to-reach subjects, through mobile clinics with multidisciplinary teams on board, which also carry out social and health literacy actions.
The presence of the Mobile Units guarantees a health and social-health presence in decentralised and agricultural areas where foreign citizens in particularly fragile and often invisible conditions are present and for whom access to health services is more difficult. Informal settlements are home to immigrants of different nationalities, some of them only for short periods, engaged in agriculture. Combating all forms of labour exploitation, marginality and vulnerability, starting with 'caporalato in agricoltura', is the aim of the two Projects, whose name bears the acronym for 'Protagonist South in Overcoming Emergencies in the Context of Severe Exploitation and Marginality', which involves four other southern regions and tackles the delicate issue by aiming to safeguard the health of migrants, intervening through proximity medicine, integrated assistance, care and outreach treatment in coordination with Third Sector organisations.
Tasks include:
- development of guidelines for the new model of psycho-socio-health care of the population living in squatter settlements
- organisation of cooperative learning meetings for Social and Health Services staff on the specific topic of protection needed by the target population and cultural guidelines
- setting up mobile care service units and related multidisciplinary teams, also operating directly in the settlements
- start-up of health centres, operational protocols and specific actions for basic social-health assistance and health screening in squatter settlements
- drafting Individualised Care Plans setting up/opening internal spaces for primary social-health care and health screening
- social and health literacy initiatives for the target population to raise awareness, learn basic health and health information and enable access to necessary services through informed choices.
The activities, which envisage the implementation of outreach health and social-health interventions in favour of migrants (medical and social-health activities, monitoring of the Covid-19 emergency, support to the vaccination campaign, health literacy and prevention), are carried out in favour of people coming from third countries and employed as seasonal farm workers in the countryside, who are often victims of "caporalato" (forced labour) and labour exploitation, criminal phenomena that the projects aim to fight and that already represent negative health determinants.
The Apulian territories concerned by the interventions are Capitanata, North Barese and Salento. In particular, the interventions are continuously concentrated in the territories in which the most populous immigrant settlements insist, i.e. those included in the geographic area, about 60 km wide, of the province of Foggia (the territory under the jurisdiction of ASL FG), in the territories of Manfredonia, Rignano Garganico, San Severo, Cerignola, Foggia, Lucera, Poggio Imperiale, Orta Nova, and San Marco in Lamis, and, mainly in the most critical areas in terms of overcrowding and precarious sanitary and housing conditions, i.e. the former airport runway in Borgo Mezzanone, the so-called Gran Ghetto of Rignano Garganico, Palmori, Poggio Imperiale, Contrada San Matteo and San Domenico, Pozzo Terraneo and Borgo Cicerone, Borgo Libertà, Contrada Ragucci, Stornara and Stronarella, as well as the settlements surrounding "Casa Sankara" and "Arena".
The project has a broad partnership composed of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (lead applicant), Apulia Region (coordinating partner), Basilicata Region, Calabria Region, Campania Region, Sicily Region, National Labour Inspectorate, International Organisation for Migration, Nova Onlus Consortium.
The activities coordinated by AReSS involve ASLs (in particular ASL FG) and some ETSs ("InterSOS Onlus", "Cuamm Medici con l'Africa Onlus" and "Solidaunia" Onlus) in partnership
Started in March 2020, activities are expected to end in October 2023, unless extended and/or new resources are provided.
The Agency has a budget of approximately € 1,980,000 to achieve its objectives.
Funding
Supreme Italia is funded under the AMIF - Emergency Funds (AP2019) of the European Commission - DG Migration and Home Affairs.
PIU Supreme is a project co-financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, General Management for Immigration and Integration Policies and by the European Union, PON Inclusion - European Social Fund 2014-2020.
