There will be volunteers, not to get lost inside the hospital

 The vascular surgery outpatient clinic, the physiatrics unit or the blood sample taking unit. Although the single-block building hosts the majority of the patients, the “Circolo” Hospital of Varese often remains a puzzle for those who come for a medical or an exam. The existing sign system often does not satisfy the particular request of the user who arrives from via Lazio or viale Borri. To help those who move bewildered inside the hospital, there will be the assistance and information service of the foundation “Il Circolo della Bontà”. Since last 5^th May, the foundation, together with AVO Varese Onlus (the hospital volunteers association) welcomes those who come for examinations, bookings and operations, at the ground floor of the Santa Maria clinic and in three points in the main pavilion.

From 7.30 to 11.00, about thirty volunteers will help people in trouble by telling them the way to the wanted unit, and also by walking them to it. The staff is made by people coming from eight different associations (Cral, Cittadinanza Attiva, Varese per l’Oncologia, Andos Varese, Lilt, Avulss and Associazione Donatori del Tempo), who took a challenge to solve a common problem. The volunteers can be recognized thanks to their yellow bib.

During this first week of working, the daily average has been almost 15 users who turned to the volunteers.The president of the foundation, Gianni Spartà said,“The first responses show an effective satisfaction for the service. Among the association that support us there is also the “Associazione Donatori del Tempo”, that will give wheelchairs, and in the meantime an electric means of transport to help people who have trouble in walking will be introduced. Our foundation works in close contact with the management; we’re generalists and we’re involved in the 5 facilities of the enterprise. We saw that there’s a big attention to the hospitals, because they’re the reference points of a territory. We want to create a bridge between the hospital and its community, a relationship that in the past allowed the building of the structures.” Spartà reminds us that we can donate with the five per thousand and give a concrete support.

The general director, Callisto Bravi, assured that the sign system will be modified soon, so that it will be clearer and more exhaustive: “At the end of the year, with the opening of the small single-block building, there’ll be a revolution of the outpatient clinics and services. By then, we’ll also have built colored paths to help the users.”

The only defect is the number of the volunteers.The president of AVO, Ambrogio Bandera, explained, “We’ve been working at the hospital for some years. We take part in this project aware of its necessity. But we’ve just started it. To make it increase, other people are needed. No specific courses are required.”