Italian health projects aid oncology patients and pediatric care with wigs and AI app

The “La Treccia del Sorriso” initiative, launched in 2021 by AVIS Sant’Angelo and the Rete Civica della Salute, continues to collect hair donations across the Messina province. Hair strands at least 25 cm long are turned into wigs for women undergoing cancer treatment and are delivered to the San Vincenzo Hospital in Taormina. The program involves local volunteers, hair salons and AVIS branches.

The Santobono‑Pausilipon Hospital in Naples was awarded the Fiaso prize for its “Santobono HappyAPP”. The digital platform uses generative artificial intelligence, gamification and chat‑bot tools to personalize the hospital experience for children and their families, providing real‑time video narratives, indoor navigation and emergency‑room waiting‑time monitoring. By May 2026 the app had produced over 165 customized videos from more than 34,000 clinical events, reaching an estimated 113,000 users annually.