24 July 2023
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From the 15th May to the 18th of June 2023 the Maruzza Foundation oversaw the coordination of the second edition of the Giro d’Italia of Pediatric Palliative Care (GPPC) a nation-wide awareness campaign aimed at promoting a positive perception of children’s palliative care in the general public and to raise awareness of the urgent need to develop paediatric palliative care services and networks throughout Italy, predominantly among local policy makers and healthcare providers.
During the 2023 initiative, in addition to 50 family-centred sporting, cultural, recreational events involving over 150 local organisations in 17 regions, a series of 13 workshops focused on dispelling the fallacies and misconceptions linked to palliative care and incurable illness in children were organised.
This dynamic initiative was conceived and supported by the ever-growing community of healthcare professionals and caregivers providing paediatric palliative care in Italy who came together with the Maruzza Foundation to strengthen and unite their efforts to stimulate much needed changes in care provision that can generate tangible improvements to the lives of children with serious illness and their families.
Silvia Lefebvre D’Ovidio, President of the Maruzza Foundation and member of the EAPC Reference Group Children & Young People, commented; “We hope that the positive impact of this initiative will continue onward and upwards until every baby, child and adolescent with palliative care needs can access dedicated and effective care provision regardless of their area of residence”.