PASS Project

Project for the Promotion of Migrants’ Access to Health Care Services

General objective: to facilitate migrants’ social inclusion through a health policy aimed at guaranteeing equal access to public medical services.

Specific objectives:
- Facilitating and empowering the interaction between migrants, health care services and health providers in order to enhance the intervention and to guarantee equal access, also taking into account cultural peculiarities.
- Promoting information and advice activities by creating information services in Italian ASL and involving cultural mediators.

Duration: 18 months

Beneficiaries:
- Migrants living in different Italian regions, whose community is largely represented;
- Social and health professionals from 40 Italian Local Health Services.

Activities:
a. Training for cultural mediators:
Specialized training for 80 cultural mediators to appoint in 40 Italian ASL. Training classes are organized in 10 ASL representing the focal points for the entire ASL network.
b. Support for trans-cultural social and health information services:
6-month vocational training for 80 cultural mediators at the selected ASL in order to provide information and advice services aimed at promoting migrants’ health and equal access to medical services.
c. Psychological and health education support:
Migrants referring the focal points will be provided with psychological and health education support. A multidisciplinary staff will be appointed for carrying out this activity.
d. Information campaigns.
In the focal points, information campaigns will be organized in order to:
- Explain and clarify Italian regulations and organizational models;
- Carry out information and advice activities by disseminating materials on migration and political asylum regulations and on the access to health care services;
- Produce information materials translated in the more diffused languages;
- Make information and training materials available on the internet for cultural mediators specialized in health care field.

National course of transcultural mediation - NIHMP 12-16 October 2009