by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Riccardo Riccardi, FVG Health Councillor; Antonio Poggiana, Director General, ASUGI (Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina)
The regional health authority serving Trieste and the surrounding area has completed a major expansion of community-based healthcare services, part of a broader national reform aimed at strengthening primary care and reducing pressure on hospital emergency departments.
Officials from the Giuliano Isontina University Health Authority (Asugi) announced Wednesday that the agency had met the infrastructure and service targets established under Italy’s DM77 healthcare reform and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
The initiative was supported by a combined investment of €84 million from PNRR resources and regional funding. The program led to the opening of seven Community Health Houses (Case della Comunità) in Gorizia, Cormons, Monfalcone, Grado, Muggia, and two locations in Trieste—at Ospedale Maggiore and Via Sai. The work included both the renovation of existing healthcare facilities and the construction of new ones.
Regional Health Councillor Riccardo Riccardi said the project represents more than a construction milestone, describing it as an effort to improve access to primary care while reducing unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms.
Asugi also released its first operational data from the newly established facilities. During the first months of 2026, the Single Access Point at Trieste’s Ospedale Maggiore handled 489 cases, while the nursing outpatient clinic assisted 1,078 patients. The primary care clinic managed 4,938 cases, with 95 percent resolved without requiring referral to other healthcare services.
Overall, the network recorded 11,888 interventions during the reporting period, including 8,954 in the Trieste area and 2,034 in the Gorizia area.
Regional officials said the figures suggest that the expanded network is helping direct patients toward more appropriate care settings, reducing demand on emergency departments while strengthening healthcare services closer to where people live.
Riccardi said the next phase of the reform will focus on increasing public awareness of how the Community Health Houses operate and encouraging residents to make greater use of local healthcare services. He also called for closer cooperation between healthcare providers, local governments, and third-sector organizations to better integrate health and social services, particularly as the region’s population continues to age.
