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Monthly Newsletter edited by Cittadinanzattiva-Active Citizenship Network
Civic Activism | Patients' Rights | Consumers' Rights | Support ACN
Year 7th, number 66 - February 2019
SPECIAL EDITION ON PATIENT SAFETY
Highlight

The event organized last 5th of February by Active Citizenship Network at the EU Parliament was aimed to build a close collaboration and dialogue with European institutions and stakeholders across the health care spectrum to determine how we can work together to a more effective civic society engagement in patient safety, especially with regards to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this regard, the innovative stable hygiene system PCHS, created to effectively combat the proliferation of nosocomial infections, was presented to the audience. 
The conference, hosted by Italian MEP Brando Benifei, consisted of a panel discussion that brought together MEPs, Policy Officer for Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated infection Charles Price, European Commission Directorate for Public Health, experts in the field  and, of course, representatives of the civic society active on the theme of patient safety.
A strong engagement by all stakeholders to tackle the constant increase of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance across Europe has been called. Read more.

Focus

TOWARDS HIGHER PATIENT SAFETY IN EUROPEAN HOSPITALS. Innovation in hygiene and sanification to reduce healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance – PUBLIC EVENT


Brando Benifei, MEP, with Brian Maguire, EURACTIV Journalist, Mariano Votta, Director Active Citizenship Network, and Antonio Gaudioso, Secretary General of Cittadinanzattiva Onlus

The speeches and materials of the event realized last 5th February are ready for the download here below:

To see the video-interview click here
To know more about the initiative click here
To see the pictures visit our FB page.
Download Speakers ‘biographies and the Minutes of the event.
Reducing healthcare-associated infections incidence by a probiotic-based sanitation system: A multicentre, prospective, intervention study (ENIT)

Media Coverage:

- ACN Press Release (EN - IT)
- IlFarmacistaOnline.it, 05 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- Quotidianosanità.it, 05 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- Vita, 05 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- OPILecce, 05 febbraio 2019, (IT).
- Panorama della Sanità, 06 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- Help Consumatori, 06 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- ProMIS, 15 Feb. 2019 (IT)
- EU Health Policy Platform (Newsletter edited by EC DG Santé), 20 Jan. 2019 (EN)
- EU Health Policy Platform (Newsletter edited by EC DG Santé),13 Feb. 2019 (EN)

To know more about Cittadinanzattiva-ACN’s commitment on patient safety, please click here.

 

PANELISTS and presentations

Luca Arnoldo
Graduated in Medicine and Surgery in 2008 and specialised in 2014 in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Udine. Since 2015 he has been working at the “Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Udine”. He collaborates in the coordination of the "Safe Cure Network" which is the structure that coordinates clinical risk management and patient safety regional programmes of Friuli Venezia Giulia, including those concerning prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial stewardship. He also collaborate with the University of Udine and he is involved in the development of scientific studies and research projects both at nationally and international level.
Download the presentation

Giuseppe Banfi
He works in Milan (Italy) as Director of Scientific Research programs at IRCCS, (Scientific and Teaching Hospital) Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute, Director of Scientific Research programs at Gruppo Ospedaliero San Donato Foundation, General Director of Fondazione Centro San Raffaele. Full Professor of Clinical Laboratory Medicine at School of Medicine, University Vita –Salute San Raffaele and Vice Rector for Research University Vita-Salute San Raffaele. He is also member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Istituto Insubrico Ricerca per La Vita Foundation.

Brando Benifei
European Federalist, is one of the youngest MEPs and is from La Spezia, Italy. His main fields of legislative work in the EP are Employment and social affairs, Security and Defence and Foreign affairs. He is co-chair of the Youth Intergroup and vice-chair of the Disability Intergroup. He is currently Shadow Rapporteur for the European Social Fund Plus and Rapporteur Post-Arab Spring in the MENA region. 

Ester Calbo
MD, PhD; specialist in Internal Medicine. Head of Infectious Diseases Unit at Hospital Universitari Mútua Terrassa. Professor of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Cataluña. Deputy Director of VINCAT, Infection Control Program of Catalonia. Her main areas of interest in research are infection control, multi-drug resistance in bacteria (molecular basis, clinical implications, therapy and control), bacteraemia, and healthcare-related infections. She  is author of more than 80 peer-reviewed publications.

Elisabetta Caselli
Academic Biologist with PhD in Biotechnology, Associate professor in Microbiology, at the Section of Microbiology and Medical Genetics of the Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara (Italy). Member of the Director Board of CIAS research center and of the Teachers Collegium of PhD in Molecular Medicine of the University of Ferrara. Member of the Italian Society of Microbiology (SIM), Italian Society of Virology (SIV), and Healthcare Infection Society (HIS). Current areas of interest: clinical bacteriology and microbiome role in different biological environments, healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), clinical virology and immunovirology.
Download the presentation

Daniele Celotto
Graduated as a Medical Doctor in the University of Udine in 2014. He is a resident in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, working since 2015 in the Accreditation and Clinical Risk Management Unit in Udine Academic Hospital. Since 2016, he has been working on the influenza vaccination campaigns for healthcare workers. He has held training courses for medical doctors and healthcare workers on patient safety and clinical risk management in acute and chronic care settings. Since 2017, he has been collaborating with the European Network to Promote Infection Prevention for Patient Safety (EUNETIPS) board, where he has been taking part in studies on infection prevention and control.
Download the presentation

Antonio Gaudioso
He is currently General Secretary of Cittadinanzattiva, an Italian civic organization that promotes civic participation and protects citizens' rights. After his graduation in Political Science and International Relationship at the University of Macerata he got a Certificate in HTA from the London School of Economics. While working for Cittadinanzattiva he has been responsible for national and international relationships with several stakeholders. He worked on the adoption of the first Law on Pain and contributed to several information campaigns related to rights’ protection, with a special focus on health rights. Currently, he is also Vice President of Active Citizenship Foundation, senior consultant for CSR and sustainability at World Bank, member of Committee on biotechnology and bio safety of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and member of several commissions and working groups on health in Italy and Europe.

Denis Herbaux
He holds aPhD in Economics and Management (2009) and holds a university certificate in quality management in health care institutions. After beginning his career in a hospitals’ federation where he was in charge of economic matters, he became the CEO of PAQS ASBL in June 2014. PAQS is a non-profit organization whose goal is to improve patient safety through different projects with health professionals and care institutions. PAQS also provides resources (tools, methodologies, good practices, ...), organizes training and is currently in the process of designing a Regional Strategy to Improve Patient Safety. PAQS works closely with regional authorities, universities and patients representatives.

Brian Maguire
Brussels-based journalist, producer and broadcaster, specialised in European politics and business; producing short documentary films exploring Europe’s competing policy dimensions. He hosts live radio and television debates with European Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and independent experts, and was co-anchor for one of the live European Presidential debates during the 2014 elections. A graduate in Government and Law, he has worked across a broad range of publications, especially within the business-to- business sector.

Charles Price
Policy Officer for Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated infection in the  European Commission Directorate for Public Health, Country Knowledge and Crisis Management, SANTE C3.  He trained as a public health physician and  previously worked at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and as a Director of Public Health in Sheffield,  UK.  
Download the presentation

Melina Raso
Executive Director of Health First Europe (HFE), a non-profit, non-commercial alliance of patients, healthcare workers, academics and healthcare experts and the medical technology industry. Their mission is to ensure that equitable access to modern, innovative and reliable medical technology and healthcare is regarded as a vital investment in the future of Europe. HFE call for truly patient-centred healthcare and believes that every European citizen should benefit from the best medical treatments available. As part of the awareness raising activities, HFE organises events and issue publications with the aim of communicating their core messages to EU decision-makers and opinion leaders.

Mariano Votta
Public affairs professional and journalist, is the Director of Active Citizenship Network (ACN), the international branch of the Italian NGO Cittadinanzattiva, where he is responsible for European Affairs. Since 2013, he has been actively involved as ACN stepped up its advocacy activities at the European Institutions, which in 2015 led to the opening of a representative office in Brussels and - above all - to the launch of the MEP Interest Group “European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare”, promoted with the endorsement of almost 100 organizations across Europe. Furthermore, in 2016, Mariano won the Efhre International University Excellence Awards on patients’ rights. Passionate about healthcare and consumer issues, he has more than 17 years of experience in the field of advocacy, stakeholder engagement, European projects, communication and civic information.
Download the presentation

This event has been realized as a follow-up of the initiative organized at the European Parliament on October 10th, 2018, and entitled “Scientific Research and Innovation – The Future of Hygiene”, to which ACN Director Mariano Votta participated as panelist.
Click here to see the video.

News
Patients' Rights

TOWARDS HIGHER PATIENT SAFETY IN EUROPEAN HOSPITALS. Innovation in hygiene and sanification to reduce healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance - EU TRAINING SEMINAR
On the 4th of February, 2019, (15.00-18.00), ACN organized an European training seminar on the theme of patient safety and healthcare-associated infections opened to a selected number of leaders of civic and patients associations and advocacy groups coming from 12 EU member states and one extra EU country. During the seminar, the following topics were presented and iscussed:

- The overall public and private engagement on the topic;
- The role of innovation to improve hygiene in the healthcare sector;
- The case history of the innovative sanitation system PCHS®;
- New strategies to advocate in this field of action.

All the speeches and materials of the event realized last 4th of February are ready to be downloaded here below:
To see the pictures visit our FB page.
To know more about the initiative click here
Download the Speakers ‘biographies and the minutes of the event.

 

PANELISTS and presentations

Paola Antonioli
MD Specialist in Public Health, Ferrara University Hospital Chief Medical Officer of Hospital Hygiene & Healthcare Associated Infection Risk Management Department; Coordinator of Clinical Health Promotion Activities; Member of Regional Network of Infectious Risk Management; Member of the Regional Medical Devices Commission. She collaborates with the National Blood Center since 2012 and with the High Sterility Environmental Studies Center (CIAS). University of Ferrara Professor and Tutor at the School of Specialization in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine. Author of 80 publications on Italian and international Journals.
Download the presentation

Elisabetta Caselli
Academic Biologist with PhD in Biotechnology, Associate professor in Microbiology, at the Section of Microbiology and Medical Genetics of the Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara (Italy). Member of the Director Board of CIAS research center and of the Teachers Collegium of PhD in Molecular Medicine of the University of Ferrara. Member of the Italian Society of Microbiology (SIM), Italian Society of Virology (SIV), and Healthcare Infection Society (HIS). Current areas of interest include clinical bacteriology and microbiome role in different biological environments, healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), clinical virology and immunovirology. The research activity has produced over 70 original papers in international journals.
Download the presentation

Daniele Celotto
Graduated as a Medical Doctor in the University of Udine in 2014. He is a resident in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, working since 2015 in the Accreditation and Clinical Risk Management Unit in Udine Academic Hospital. Since 2016, he has been working on the influenza vaccination campaigns for healthcare workers. He has held training courses for medical doctors and healthcare workers on patient safety and clinical risk management in acute and chronic care settings. Since 2017, he has been collaborating with the European Network to Promote Infection Prevention for Patient Safety (EUNETIPS) board, where he has been taking part in studies on infection prevention and control.
Download the presentation

Flora Kontopidou
Internal Medicine doctor specialized in Infectious Diseases with clinical and research experience in healthcare settings with critically ill patients and high resistance levels. She worked as an infectious disease and infection control consultant in intensive care units and in surgical departments in one of the biggest University General Hospitals in Athens. Since the end of 2009, she is working at Hellenic-CDCP and currently, she is the Head of Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Office of HCDCP, which is responsible for the surveillance of AMR indicators, the training of HCPs, and the promotion of the proper use of antibiotics in the community and hospital settings. HAIs & AMR Office - HCDCP is the leader of WP.6.1 of EU-JAMRAI regarding the control and prevention of HAIs and AMR in healthcare settings.
Download the presentation

George Griffin
President of the  Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM), he gained BSc in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology at King’s College London Sciences, where he was awarded the Delegacy Prize for Excellence in Preclinical Science. He was awarded PhD in Cell Biology/Biochemistry, University of Hull. Professor Griffin’s postgraduate training paralleled basic and clinical science. He has chaired scientific advisory boards in major pharmaceutical industry in the USA and UK. He has been chair and member of major Wellcome, Medical Research Council and Gates Foundation committees. He was censor at the Royal College of Physicians. He was appointed to the board of Public Health England where he will help shape strategy for research and clinical development. His research has focussed on the host response to infection at cell, molecular and whole body level. Such work involves immune and metabolic responses in vivo in humans.
Download the presentation

Brian Maguire
Brussels-based journalist, producer and broadcaster, specialised in European politics and business; producing short documentary films exploring Europe’s competing policy dimensions. He hosts live radio and television debates with European Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and independent experts, and was co-anchor for one of the live European Presidential debates during the 2014 elections. A graduate in Government and Law, he has worked across a broad range of publications, especially within the business-to- business sector.

Daniela Quaggia
Senior projects coordinator, graduated in Communication  Science and with a 2nd level University Master degree in Institutional Communication. Has been working in Cittadinanzattiva for 4 years in the Institutional relation office; since January 2010 she is member of the Active Citizenship Network staff and project manager of EU projects  related on health and citizens involvement. He is also responsible of the networking activities and internal communication among the almost 100 EU partners of ACN, working for exchange of information, experiences and good practices, involvement in project and political activities.
Download the presentation

Mariano Votta
Public affairs professional and journalist, is the Director of Active Citizenship Network (ACN), the international branch of the Italian NGO Cittadinanzattiva, where he is responsible for European Affairs. Since 2013, he has been actively involved as ACN stepped up its advocacy activities at the European Institutions, which in 2015 led to the opening of a representative office in Brussels and - above all - to the launch of the MEP Interest Group “European Patients' Rights & Cross-Border Healthcare”, promoted with the endorsement of almost 100 organizations across Europe. Furthermore, in 2016, Mariano won the Efhre International University Excellence Awards on patients’ rights. Passionate about healthcare and consumer issues, he has more than 17 years of experience in the field of advocacy, stakeholder engagement, European projects, communication and civic information.
Download the presentation

The events of 4th and 5th of February have been realized thanks to the unconditional support of Copma.

Commitment at the National Level:

Italy: Cittadinanzattiva’s last event in Italy
In occasion of the 38th anniversary of the Patients’ Rights Day, on January 28th, 2019, Cittadinanzattiva  Livorno tackled the issue of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance with the aim of raising awareness and concerns among the citizens and local healthcare institutions.
Download the agenda of the event (IT).
Download the publication (IT).
Read the article on the local newspapers: Il Tirreno, 28 January 2019, (IT).

Spain: the commitment of Foro Espaňol de Pacientes
In occasion of the training seminar of February 4th, 2019,the Spanish Association Foro Espanol de Pacientes has presented some data and statistics regarding antimicrobial resistance and the use of antibiotics in Spain. Click here to download the document.

Austria: the commitment of Lower Austrian Patient and Nursing Advocacy
The Austrian Association Lower Austrian Patient and Nursing Advocacy (NÖ Patienten- und Pflegeanwaltschaft) has published an infographic and a short brochure  with proper guidelines for patients and their safety. Download the infographic (DE) and the patients’ booklet (DE) here.

Bulgaria: the commitment of Patients' Organizations With You
On January 30th, 2019, the Bulgarian patients’ association Patients' Organizations With You organized a roundtable for stakeholders active on the topic of antimicrobial resistance with the support of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
Download 
the agenda and the participants of the event.
To know more click here.

Civic Activism

4 February, 2019, Bruxelles – Innovative ways to increase civic participation: the “PolArt Circle” project
The 4th of February 2019, in Brussels, ACN organized in Brussels its multiplier event with 20 representatives of civic organizations coming from different countries to talk about the PolArt Circle Project and our trainees' experience. It was the occasion to discuss initiatives, tools & performing arts to increase participation in the context of healthcare.
Download the agenda & the presentations of the event here.
Learn more about Polart Circle here.

EVENTS

28th February 2019, San Gwann (Malta): “Health Priorites for Future Europe”
Malta Health Network, historical partner of ACN, will organize a conference to discuss the major health priorities for the future together with the representatives of other patients’ associations and Maltese EP candidates, in line with ACN’s strategy to involve MEPs and future candidates to the 13thedition of the European Patients’ Rights Day. ACN will participate. For further information please click here.

4th March 2019, Bruxelles (Belgium):  Starting a “Coalition for Vaccination” 
ACN will participate in the kick-off meeting of the European Commission initiative “Coalition for Vaccination”, one of the 20 concrete actions included in the Council Recommendation, to bring its civic point of view together with European associations of healthcare workers as well as relevant students' associations in the field, and to commit to delivering accurate information to the public, combating myths and exchanging best practice.  To know more please click here.

5th March 2019, Bruxelles (Belgium): “Towards EU election: Strengthening the European Union for a more effective consumer protection”.
This event is organized by the European Consumer Union (ECU) and it will be be held at the European Parliament. The main goal of the event is to discuss which steps should be put in practice in order to foster consumer protection starting from the most vulnerable categories and to implement the “New Deal for Consumers”. Several policy makers and organisations representing consumers’ interests and business will take part in the conference. Mr. Mariano Votta, Director of Active Citizenship Network, will be one of the panelists.  To register, click this link.

6th March 2019, Bruxelles (Belgium): “EU Ecosystem For Monitoring Of Post-Licensure Vaccine Benefit And Risk: From ADVANCE To Vac4EU”.
The event, in which Director of Active Citizenship Network Mariano Votta will participate as a panelist, will address the importance of public private collaboration, heterogeneity of data sources, ability to use real world evidence in decision making in the context of the post-marketing vaccine benefit/risk monitoring. This event will also be the occasion to present VAC4EU. For further information, please click here.

9th & 10th April 2019, Bruxelles (Belgium): “XIII European Patients’ Rights Day 2019”
The 13th European Patients’ Rights Day (EPRD) will be celebrated at the European Parliament in Brussels by Active Citizenship Network (ACN) on April 2019. The 2019 conference will have a twofold structure: a multi-stakeholder event entitled “An electoral debate on citizens' expectations” on April 9th and a mono-stakeholder thematic conference focused on a specific health issue on April 10th. The XIII European Patients’ Rights Day aims to exchange and discuss with candidates the needs of citizens and patients and how to strengthen their rights at European level, to contribute to set out the EU health agenda: influence and advocate on political priorities, to increase the cooperation among the EU Institutions and citizens & patient organizations. To learn more about the event please click here.
To attend the conference on April 9th, please register here (registration is mandatory).

 


Director and Editor in chief: Mariano Votta
Editors: Daniela Quaggia, Manuela Amadori
Coordination and Production: Giacomo D'Orazio 

To contribute, plase write to: mail@activecitizenship.net
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