Rebibbia prison opens first community health house in Italy

The Lazio regional council approved a decree authorising the conversion of part of the Rebibbia prison facility into a "Casa della Comunità" – a community health centre that will provide detainees with the same level of primary and specialist care available to the general population. The project is funded with €3.642 872 from the PNRR and is coordinated by the Department of Penitentiary Administration (DAP), ASL Roma 2 and the Lazio region. It implements the national territorial health model (DM 77/2022) inside the prison, offering preventive, chronic‑disease and substance‑abuse services, as well as tele‑medicine and specialist outpatient care.

Union leader Antonio Magi (Sumai Assoprof) described the initiative as “a concrete signal of the will to strengthen territorial health even in the most complex and fragile contexts”. Regional president Francesco Rocca called the centre “an act of civility” that protects detainees’ constitutional right to health and supports their social reintegration. The Rebibbia model is presented as a prototype that could be replicated in other correctional facilities across Italy.

The health house will operate from August 2025, providing 12‑hour daily services staffed by multidisciplinary teams, aiming to reduce hospital transfers, improve continuity of care and enhance overall prison conditions.