The A. Gemelli University Hospital became a Foundation on August 1, 2015. It was opened on July 10, 1964, and has been a part of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart for more than 50 years. It is a place of excellence where high-quality teaching, innovative research, and care and assistance activities work together for the benefit of patients. In full continuity with the Gemelli’s past, this change has given them the independence they need to handle their ever-growing complexity and meet the challenges of a healthcare system that is changing a lot.

The close connection with the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart is still there. This is an important part of making sure that the high quality of care offered, the constant search for new ways to treat patients, and the essential nature of University Hospital are maintained. The Foundation is a private non-profit organization made up of Istituto Toniolo and the Catholic University. Its mission is to protect and promote the human person in the areas of health care, training, scientific research, and innovation in biomedical and health care, both clinical and translational.

Gemelli is now known as a place where scientific and technical skills, sensitivity to people, ethics, and Catholic values all come together to make a real commitment to providing great care to the whole community. Every day, the integrity of the person and his or her expressed and unspoken care needs are at the center of our work. We try to build a connection with the patient and see the whole of his or her efforts and how fragile they are.

The presence and activity of the Pastoral Center, which guides and supports the spiritual motivations of the working community of the Foundation and meets the spiritual care needs of patients, is a sign of this foundational and constant attention to the whole person, of the Christian foundation on which Gemelli was born and grew up to become an example of excellence.

HISTORY

The building of the Polyclinic named after Father Agostino Gemelli started on June 22, 1962. It was officially opened on July 10, 1964. The first units to work were Surgical Pathology and Medical Pathology, which had 70 beds between them.

In 1977, the Lazio Region made the Policlinico a Regional Hospital with 1,786 beds and 55 cots.

The opening of the new DEA (Emergency and Acceptance Department) in 2002, along with the new Emergency Room, was a big step in the history of the Polyclinic. This was a new kind of building that could handle major emergencies.

On August 1, 2015, the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation officially took over management of the hospital. This gave the hospital the independence it needed to face the difficulties of a changing healthcare environment.

In January 2016, the Pediatric Emergency Department opened for the first time.

It is part of the new DEA and the Gemelli Emergency Room. It covers 3,100 square meters and is the center for all emergency care for children not only in Rome and the Province, but also in the rest of the region and even outside the region.

In 2017, the Gemelli Polyclinic got more modern structures, like the Advanced Oncological Radiotherapy Center ART (Advanced Radiation Therapy) and the new Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit, so that patients could get more innovative and effective treatments.

With the help of the Rome Foundation, the CEMAD (Digestive Disease Center), a new center for diagnosing, treating, and preventing illnesses of the digestive system, opened at the end of 2017.

In 2018, the Minister of Health, Beatrice Lorenzin, issued a decree recognizing the scientific nature of the Gemelli Polyclinic for the fields of “Personalized Medicine” and “Innovative Biotechnologies,” making it an Institute of Scientific Hospitalization and Care (IRCCS). This shows that the treatments offered are valuable and always getting better.

THE FUTURE

The Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation is where scientific and technical skills, sensitivity to people, ethics, and Catholic values come together to make a strong commitment to the service of all, so that everyone in the community can get great care that is also easy to get. What will be done in the future is:

• Qualify as the best Academic Medical Center in Italy and one of the top 10 in Europe in terms of clinical quality and the ability to bring study to the bedside of patients.
• Establish itself as a center of success that draws patients and professionals.
• Commit to being a hospital that helps people, not just their illnesses, and serves everyone.