For a child with a severe disability, access to an appropriate rehabilitation pathway can be crucial. But in the most complex cases, finding available beds and facilities capable of providing high-intensity care is becoming increasingly difficult. This need is at the heart of the “Growing, even through fragility” project, which aims to create a “Special unit for severe developmental disabilities” within the new “Santa Maria degli Ulivi” Center, under construction since January 2026 in Jesi, in the province of Ancona. The project is promoted by Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, a key organization within Italy’s healthcare and social care system. Through a network of 25 residential facilities and 27 outpatient centers across 9 Italian regions, the Foundation provides neurological rehabilitation, care for people with severe disabilities and geriatric services. The new Special unit for severe developmental disabilities will replace the one currently located at the “Centro Bignamini” in Falconara, established in 1965 and managed by the Foundation since 1989. It will increase capacity, with the number of beds rising from the 10 currently available at Centro Bignamini to 20 in the new Special unit in Jesi. Doubling capacity will help child neuropsychiatry services in the Marche region address the growing difficulties encountered in ensuring an adequate number of high-intensity rehabilitation beds for the most clinically complex cases. The goal is to improve access to, continuity and quality of care in the Marche region for children with severe congenital or acquired brain injuries. Our contribution will support the purchase of medical equipment for the Special unit for severe developmental disabilities, including multiparameter monitors, suction devices and ventilators, helping create a unit capable of responding to an increasingly tangible need in the local area. Because ensuring access to care also means providing children and their families with the tools and spaces they need to face such a delicate journey. Details Location: Jesi, Province of Ancona Foundation: Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Beneficiaries: At least 75 pediatric patients per year Contribution: €200,000 Period: July 2026 – July 2027
