The New York week of Campus Salute, the Italian project that combines prevention, volunteerism and civic participation, officially opened with a press conference and symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Guglielmo Marconi School of Italy. It was a solemn moment that brought together some of the most important Italian and international institutions to celebrate the arrival in the United States of an initiative that carries a universal message: health as a right and prevention as a community practice.
Testifying to the importance of the project is the presence of leading figures: Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli, Consul General of Italy in New York Fabrizio Di Michele, CGIE Deputy Secretary General for Non-European Anglophone Countries Silvana Mangione, Campus Salute President Pasquale Antonio Riccio, IARL President Davide Ippolito, Consiglio Superiore di Sanità Vice President Annamaria Colao, GrowTogether Foundation Founder and President Don Luigi Portarulo, and CEO and Head of School of Italy Michael Cascianelli.
The event marked the start of the first U.S. edition of Campus Health, which is being held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly, creating an ideal bridge between international diplomacy and health culture. “We bring prevention among the people, for free and with heart: it is volunteerism that is our real strength. We have come all the way from Naples to the UN with the aim of spreading awareness and promoting self-care, body and mind,” said President Pasquale Antonio Riccio, emphasizing the historic significance of this New York stop.
“Prevention is the first drug. I am increasingly convinced of this, for our health and that of the health system,” said Deputy Minister Cirielli. “These initiatives,” he added, “represent a model to be spread in Italy and the rest of the world. I thank Campus Salute President Pasquale Antonio Riccio and its founder Annamaria Colao for inviting me to this very important initiative. I have already participated in Campus Salute events in several Italian squares, but here in New York it allows us to make our excellence engaged in volunteerism and cooperation known abroad as well. “Alongside the institutional dimension, the press conference also highlighted the scientific and popularizing role of the project. Professor Annamaria Colao, Vice-President of the Consiglio Superiore di Sanità, recalled how many chronic diseases are linked to unhealthy lifestyles and reiterated the importance of educating about health from an early age: “Bringing the Health Campus to the Italian community of New York is the first step toward the internationalization of the project, with a clear message: prevention is not a luxury, but a right. “The opening day ended with a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers, doctors and operators who make Campus Salute possible. They, more than anyone else, were celebrated as the real driving force behind this initiative that now looks forward to an international future.
The article Campus Salute debuts in New York: press conference and ribbon cutting at the School of Italy comes from TheNewyorker.
