An Evaluation of the Health System Response to the 2023 Floods in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

In May 2023, the Emilia-Romagna region (North-Eastern part of Italy) was hit by intense rainfall that caused extensive flooding and landslides in densely populated areas. On the 4th of May, 2023, a state of emergency was declared, resulting in the activation of response and recovery plans. A few months after the emergency, CRIMEDIM published a field report (Valente et al., 2023) providing an overview of the health system response to the floods, which involved the mobilisation of numerous health workers within and outside the region, and the implementation of measures to ensure the provision of health services to the affected population.

Following the publication of the report, a collaboration was set up between the Local Health Authority of the Romagna District (AUSL della Romagna) and CRIMEDIM, to carry out an evaluation of the health system response to the floods. The project aimed at assessing the direct and indirect impacts of the disaster on public health and on the health system, and at identifying best practices and areas for improvement.

Leveraging on the expertise of the two partners, this project will allow the identification of strengths and weaknesses in the response and ultimately the developed of tailor-made recommendations to tackle the identified weaknesses and improve the capacity of the health system to systematically respond to disasters. The results of this evaluation will be disseminated in the form of a comprehensive report targeting decision-makers and local authorities, as well as scientific publications to reach the broader scientific community.

CRIMEDIM Research team and contact

Martina Valente, Giulia Facci, Clara Del Prete, Luca Ragazzoni

Martina Valente, PhD (martina.valente@uniupo.it)