The intense experience of Villa Erba Vaccine Hub

From April 12 to August 15, 2021, the Congress Center of Villa Erba was used by Asst (Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Lariana), as a vaccination hub. The vaccination campaign, addressed to people of various age groups, involved 216,863 citizens*. We have been operating every day from 8:00 to 20:00, except on 27 and 28 July, when the bad weather has made it difficult to move throughout the area the province of Como due to flooding and landslides. *date updated at 8 pm on August 12

The most emotionally involving aspect was the commitment of all the people involved: from the doctors to the assistants, from the volunteers to our staff: no one spared themselves to contribute in their own role to the success of a fundamental initiative for the health of all. And then of course the citizens, who on several occasions have noted the validity of the organizational machine, thanking us publicly through the press and social media. In short, a choral commitment that, although in exceptionally special circumstances, has shown awareness and sensitization by all. To adapt the spaces to the needs of the vaccination campaign, ensuring maximum levels of safety, we have structured the central pavilion, usually used for trade fairs and conferences. The structure also has ample parking, both inside and in the immediate vicinity; this has favored the general organization and especially allowed people to easily reach the hub.

Thanks to the contribution requested for the parking lot, it was possible to raise 30,000 euros, which the Board of Directors of Villa Erba Spa decided to allocate to the Sant'Anna Fund of Como, established in 2006 at the Fondazione Provinciale della Comunità Comasca to financially and materially support projects and structures pertaining to Asst Lariana. On August 13, Filippo Arcioni (President) and Piero Bonasegale (Director) delivered the check from Villa Erba to the General Manager of Asst Lariana Fabio Banfi, who said: "We thank Villa Erba for the excellent collaboration profile. The donation will be donated for the purchase of useful instrumentation for the activity of Sant'Anna Hospital."

A further gesture of social and civil solidarity, a concrete contribution dedicated to the fundamental role that the Sant'Anna Hospital and the Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Lariana play precisely in our territory; roles put to the test by Covid 19 for many months now, but currently have been consolidated in a network of collaboration between institutions, public administrations and private companies. The case of Villa Erba as a vaccine hub is the perfect example of the common will to react constructively by aiming straight at the goal, each for their own skills and possibilities.

Our structure at the service of the community: our heartfelt thanks go once again to

• all the medical and administrative staff of Asst Lariana
• the general practitioners and doctors who, despite being retired, have made themselves immediately available
• the staff that, for various reasons, has supported Asst Lariana
• the Istituto Clinico Villa Aprica, which has supported us in the management of a line of medical equipment
• the volunteers of the A.Ma.Te association
• the committees of the province of Como of the Red Cross
• the Cngei scout group of Como and Cantù
• the scout group Agesci of Como
• all the groups belonging to the Civil Protection group of the province of Como
• the internal staff and external collaborators of Villa Erba
• the Municipality of Cernobbio (Como)

Photo: CiaoComo.it