Shopping and Medication Ready - free home delivery of groceries and medicines

By project REGIO-MOB

Published on 30 August 2022

Italy

Lazio

Orte

About this good practice

The Municipality of Orte in cooperation with AVIS (Italian Voluntary Blood Donors Association) has activated a free service to deal with the COVID-19 emergency, expanding the service provided by AVIS and offering home delivery of food and medicines to helping the most vulnerable people and thus reducing vehicular traffic. The service is aimed at over 65s or non-self-sufficient people and is provided in collaboration with all supermarkets and pharmacies that have joined the initiative. With the indications of the Ministry of Health which invite the population not to leave the house and not to go to crowded places due to the continuation of the Covid-19 emergency and in order to respond to this particular situation of vulnerability, the Municipality of Orte with the The AVIS Association have offered the population two free services: "Pronto Spesa" and "Pronto Farmaco" a home delivery service for medicines and basic necessities for the entire persistence of the epidemiological emergency during the lockdown period. People in difficulty were able to report their needs to the operator who organized the service to be provided within 48 hours of the phone call. As for the drug delivery service, the volunteers collected the patients' prescriptions from their homes, then went to the pharmacy and delivered the drugs to the user's home. Volunteers do not enter users' homes and are recognizable by the uniform of AVIS, Civil Protection or the Italian Red Cross.

Resources needed

2 volunteers were assigned recognizing a monthly reimbursement of expenses not exceeding 140€. The expansion of the service in collaboration with the Municipality of Orte has made it possible to include the over 60s and the coverage of fuel costs of municipal cars until the end of the lockdown.

Evidence of success

The service has strengthened solidarity and closeness, also favoring the reduction of vehicular traffic and was managed through volunteers from 9 to 13 and from 15 to 19 and, in the indicated period, until 31 December 2022 thanks to the support of the Municipality of Orte , offering benefits to:
- people aged 60 or over
- disabled people
- people confined at home, even temporarily, in application of the regulatory provisions for the containment of the contagion from COVID-19.

Potential for learning or transfer

The experience is highly transferable thanks to the action of voluntary associations and the agreement with local administrations. In Italy, the experience has spread to all cities through the Committees of the Italian Red Cross present on the national territory. They too have taken action for the COVID-19 emergency, offering a free service for the home delivery of groceries and medicines, helping the most vulnerable people. A free toll-free number (i.e. in Orte Municipality was +39 800-065510) was also created for the service, active throughout Italy, and aimed at over 65 or non-self-sufficient people and is managed in cooperation with supermarkets and pharmacies that have joined the initiative thanks to the collaboration of the Municipalities. The contribution of the Civil Protection of Orte ([email protected]) was essential for the expansion of the service also to people aged 60 and over.