The Instituto de Infectologia Emílio Ribas launches this Wednesday (30) the ground zero of the facilities of the Sérgio Tardelli Rehabilitation Center. The unit will be designed for people living with HIV and is the first initiative of its kind in a public hospital in the state of São Paulo.
The date chosen is the eve of World AIDS Day, on December 1st.
The project is a partnership between Emílio Ribas, who is a reference in the area, the São Paulo State Department of Health and the Aids News Agency, together with their supporters.
The name is a tribute to the translator Sérgio Tardelli, one of the victims of HIV who died in 1994. Roseli Tardelli, Sérgio’s sister, says that the health plan at the time refused his case, stating that it did not treat “this type of disease”.
“SUS already welcomed people with AIDS. Why didn’t the agreement do it? There’s only one word: prejudice”, he says.
He and his family filed a lawsuit in court for the health plan to cover Sérgio’s case. In the end, the action helped everyone else living with the virus, as it became case law.
Almost ten years after her brother’s death, Roseli founded the Aids News Agency to spread correct information about the disease and HIV. Now, together with other partners, it seeks to acquire equipment that can be used in the rehabilitation center.
The Government of São Paulo will be in charge of renovating the space of around 1,000 m² at Emílio Ribas before the opening of the unit.
According to Roseli, this is the first initiative of its kind in a state hospital in São Paulo. Other similar projects already exist, including one organized by her, but without being linked to a health center in the state.
Services offered
Initially, the rehabilitation center will have exclusive services to assist people living with HIV. There are plans to install a fitness center on site. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists and psychologists must also compose the team that will work in the unit.
“We need a multidisciplinary response because it is a broad disease”, says Roseli, adding that the infection can be associated with various health complications, such as heart disease.
In addition to the unit’s ground zero, which will be represented by a symbolic plaque at Emílio Ribas, the book “O Valor da Vida” will be launched, about the history of the news agency founded by Roseli.
The opening of the rehabilitation center should take place in about a year, says the sister of the honoree.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
