The earthquake that shattered the ancient Italian town of L’Aquila killed nearly 300 people and left more than 60,000 homeless when it struck on April 6. Even though it’s been nearly three months since the tragedy, spotlighting the continued plight of the survivors is still a major priority in Italy — and one of the key reasons that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi decided to move the upcoming G8 meeting to the city. It’s also why GE, as part of its healthymagination initiative, is donating some of its latest portable technology — the Venue 40 compact ultrasound system — to the people of L’Aquila.
Still in need: Elide Papola, 73, is seen here on June 2 rocking her 7-month-old grandson in a tent camp in Onna after her family was displaced. According to Reuters, strong tremors continue to shake the town — with a 4.5 magnitude tremor rattling buildings on June 29 and sending people fleeing from “the tent villages that still shelter thousands of people still homeless from the quake.” (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images)
There are approximately 160 tent towns around the city and nearby areas that are home to around 25,000 people, according to other news reports. Thousands more are said to be staying in rented rooms along the coast — with the government of Italy footing most of the bill.
Make mine to go: The Venue 40, which is part of GE’s healthymagination line of products, features ultrasound advancements to improve quality, increase access and help lower healthcare costs. Its entire interface is an intuitive touch screen.
GE’s Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt was in L’Aquila today to personally make the donation of 10 Venue 40 ultrasound systems to the local health authority. The technology will allow clinicians to more easily perform real-time rapid diagnostics, ensuring earlier, more accurate diagnosis at the point-of-care. Giuseppe Recchi, GE National Executive for South East Europe, says the donation of portable ultrasounds will be of “great clinical value when having to care for patients in emergency situations or in areas that can not be reached easily.”
While saving lives with medical equipment is the priority, GE is also a company uniquely suited to offering survivors — especially children — something else: A boost in spirits. GE’s NBC Universal also donated three mobile, air-conditioned movie theaters — with each able to hold 100 people and equipped with home theater, satellite and digital TV. They were set up with the support of the Italian Red Cross in the camps of Collemaggio, San Gregorio and Centicolella. Over 300 DVDs of films and TV series have been donated for the camps, with the animated movie, “Tale of Desperaux,” the first film to be shown in the mobile theater today.
* Read today’s announcement
* Learn more about the quake
* Learn more about the quake survivors
* Learn more about GE Healthcare
* Read about our donation of neonatal medical equipment in the UK
* Read GE Reports’ coverage of the healthymagination launch
* Read GE Reports’ story about our Health Advisory Board
* Read about healthymagination’s work with electronic medical records
* Read about our healthymagination work in Bangladesh
* Learn more about the partnership with Grameen Healthcare Trust
* Learn about our work in Cambodia
* Read our story about GE’s localized healthcare technology breakthroughs going global
