Local Hospital in Fasano Faces Closure Amid Protests and Strategic Changes
Do not undermine S. Corona! The people of Fasano, a frazione halfway between Gardone and Maderno, are on the warpath. The Local Health Authority (ASL) intends to close the hospital, integrating it into the Roè Volciano hospital, which is currently only outlined in the three-year Plan approved by the Regione Lombardia.
The association La Rata (named after the small ascent in the middle of the town), which organizes demonstrations throughout the year and gives voice to the grievances of local residents, has taken a stand on the issue. “We want to remind everyone of how important and vital it is for S. Corona to continue operating in the field of cardiac rehabilitation,” say president Domenicangelo Freri, Rita Arrighi, Mario Erculiani, Cortesi, the Maffei, and the members of the board.
The issues and protests regarding the hospital’s future
The situation that has developed in recent months, including the reorganization of admissions, the lack of a redevelopment plan, and ongoing programs, casts serious doubt on its future. This is not a seasonal or temporary phenomenon but part of a broader strategy favoring private healthcare facilities, which have arisen almost everywhere, at the expense of Fasano’s hospital—an institution historically subjected to speculative pressures aimed first at closing and then repurposing it.
“The average number of hospitalized patients,” continue Erculiani et al., “has dropped from 90-95 to 30-35. Not only that, but an internal catering service has been established for the relatives of patients. At this point, we ask the mayor of Gardone what purpose is served by restaurants and public establishments trying to stay open even in the low season, when they have to face unfair competition from a hospital structure that should be involved in entirely different activities.”
“Unless there are significant management changes, with a radical upgrade of S. Corona, the situation will worsen further, with serious repercussions on the local economy. Based on this, we have invited the mayor and political forces to take vigorous action in all appropriate venues to revitalize a service that belongs to the entire community. We reject a health plan that could lead to a closure, and we will undertake all necessary actions to oppose this reckless project, which is driven solely by highly speculative intentions.”
In the past, the villa that houses the hospital, with its splendid lakeside garden, was used as a summer colony: a pediatric prevention center for rheumatic diseases. It became an hospital in 1965, integrated into the Civile di Brescia in 1978. The latest renovation was in 1996, which involved the creation of a small wing, a parking lot for 25 cars on the upper plateau, and improvements to the sanitary facilities.
There are about a hundred beds (two male wards, one female ward, and some single rooms with hotel-style amenities), as well as about the same number of staff (ten doctors, headed by Brunello Cerri as chief physician, and 35 professional nurses); 2,500-2,600 patients are admitted annually, including about one thousand post-heart attack patients, the same number operated on for bypass, and around 500 valve replacements. Most come from Lombardy, but there are also patients from Liguria and Veneto.
As mentioned earlier, during the last City Council meeting, Mayor Alessandro Bazzani expressed his concerns. “We learned from local newspapers that S. Corona might be transferred to Roè Volciano,” said Bazzani.
The mayor’s statements and concerns for the future
“We absolutely cannot accept this transfer. I believe it’s urgent to meet with Dr. Lucio Mastromatteo, director of the Civile di Brescia, which oversees the facility.” In 1999, when asked about the risk of Fasano’s closure, Mastromatteo replied: “These concerns are unfounded. We intend to adapt our offering of services to meet the needs of the community.”
In this context, S. Corona is set to integrate into the cardiothoracic department, given its longstanding specialization in rehabilitating heart attack and cardiac patients. To this end, 15 currently-unused beds are to be converted into respiratory rehabilitation beds for patients coming from surgery. However, after the approval of the new hospital plan, Bazzani’s concerns have grown.