• PIEDMONT AND VALLE D'AOSTA GROUPING:

  
  

- Medical assistance to the in-patients of a number of local Hospitals and support to various public healthcare facilities;

- Organization of a First Aid course at the Mauriziano Hospital, Turin;

- Drills in Bousson, Alta Val di Susa in cooperation with the Association of Discharged Officers, which involved 25 volunteers in two days;

- Drills in Guazzora (province of Alessandria), with installation of a Camp with tents, camp kitchen, etc.; 15 volunteers were involved;

- Many volunteers (about 20) joined the celebrations for St. John the Baptist's Day (June 24) in Rome;

- Eight volunteers were on duty at the Roman Basilicas for the Jubilee from December 24 to 31.

• LIGURIA GROUPING:

- Medical assistance to the in-patients of public healthcare facilities in various Ligurian towns;

- Organization of a First Aid course at the great hall of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Genova, held by hospital chief physicians and university lecturers. The course was attended by CISOM volunteers and by twenty youths approximately, and the initiative encountered the approval of local authorities and of the people involved;

- In July and August a First Aid station was established at the port of Imperia in collaboration with the local Harbor Office, the station employed five volunteers per day;

- A CISOM Group was created in Rapallo and equipped with an off-road vehicle for mountain rescue operations, in collaboration with the public authorities that solicited the service; - The volunteers joined the celebrations for St. John the Baptist's Day (June 24) in Rome; .

• LOMBARDY GROUPING:

- Twenty volunteers provided medical assistance to the in-patients of various town hospitals and to the homeless in poorer neighborhoods, and were cheered by the population;

- Ambulance drills with helicopters, involving 20 volunteers;

- Twelve volunteers provided medical assistance at the railway station for a train headed to Lourdes;

- From August 5 to 12, Group volunteers guided by the Area I Director, Baron Guglielmo Guidobono Cavalchini, managed the International camp for the Disabled in Lignano Sabbiadoro.

• WEST VENETO GROUPING:

- A First Aid course was organized at the dispensary of the Military Academy of Modena, attended by all the volunteers enrolled;

- VALDAGNO Group: many health-care and humanitarian services were granted to the disabled and the needy.

• EAST VENETO GROUPING:

- Preparation of the activities concerning the organization of First Aid courses in Padua, Venice and Belluno;

- Coordination with the religious and civil authorities in charge of organizing the assistance and emergency network in Veneto for the Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000;

- Five volunteers per week have helped relocating many patients suffering from multiple sclerosis;

- A First Aid course was organized in the Grand Prior's Palace in Venice, attended by 38 trainees; the course was held by 8 specialists from the hospitals of Venice, Belluno and Padua;

- VENICE Group: solemn ceremony of distribution of the merit certificates issued by the National Directorate to the volunteers who provided assistance for the art exhibition "Piranesi and the Aventino" in Rome;

- Honor service during the visit to Venice of H.E. the Grand Chancellor Count Carlo Marullo di Condojanni;

- PADUA Group: preparatory First Aid course, attended by 54 trainees, in the premises made available by "La Cittadella Uffici Residence", with distribution of first-aid kits to successful trainees;

- VENICE Group: assistance and emergency aid at the St. Mark's Basilica during the celebrations for the "Virgin Nicopeia", Patroness of the Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice; six volunteers were involved;

- Certosa di Vigodarzere, assistance for the Annual Gathering promoted by the Grand Priory Delegate Count Enrico Matteo Passi and Dr. Francesco Felletti Spadazzi, Head of CISOM Group, with some 300 participants and H.E. the Grand Prior as the guest of honor. A camp kitchen was installed, the vehicles for patient relocation were made available by the Military Headquarters "Regione Nord";

- PADUA Group: installation of a medical emergency station in St. Anthony's Basilica; - Collection of materials, food and drugs for Albania and the Kosovo.

• FRIULI AND VENEZIA-GIULIA GROUPING:

- Establishment of a B.L.S. course, 6 physicians obtained the license;

- Hefestos Project: procedure update. Awarding of the contract for upgrade works on facilities for the disabled: seven interventions were carried out. Volunteers of the Trieste Group joined the International Camp for the Disabled in Lignano;

- Organization of a collection of drugs, pieces of clothing and staples for the Kosovo.

• WEST EMILIA GROUPING:

- Five volunteers involved in the service of honor during the transfer of the Sacred Image of the Holy Virgin of St. Luke from the Colle della Guardia;

- Pilgrimage of the Grand Priory Delegation to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of St. Luke. CISOM arranged for the relocation of patients, installed a camp kitchen and prepared and distributed some 200 individual meals, with the involvement of 30 volunteers;

- First-aid service during sport events solicited by the Italian Sports Center. A team of 7 volunteers was dedicated to this service and the event was sponsored by the Curia of Bologna;

- Medical assistance service during the Holy Mass at camp and the Youth Games organized by the Diocese of Bologna, which involved 4 physicians, 3 paramedics and 22 ambulance staff members; various interventions were required;

- First-aid service during the usual meeting of the Archbishop of Bologna with the people who were not on holiday on August 15 (the Assumption), which involved 30 volunteers (3 physicians and 3 paramedics); the service was solicited by the Curia of Bologna;

- VENICE Group: organization of the exhibition "Domain of the Sea" on account of the Grand Priory, involving 8 volunteers;

- Villa Pallavicini, Bologna, the Archbishop solicited a first-aid service for the inauguration of the Pilgrim's House, which involved 14 volunteers, among which a physician.

• ROMAGNA GROUPING:

-- Collection of food and other staples for the Albanians, which were sent by means of the Grand Priory Delegation;

- Organization of humanitarian aids to Albanian and Kosovar children, in collaboration with the Caritas association of Rimini;

- Participation in the celebrations of the Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro in Dovadola and Pellegrinaggio Verna; ;

• SARDINIA GROUPING:

-- SASSARI Group: on request of municipal and health-care authorities various first-aid and patient escort services were performed;

- Many assistance services were provided during religious ceremonies, as solicited by local dioceses;

- In collaboration with the Fire Department and the Town Civil Protection a fire-fighting campaign was launched which involved many teams of volunteers, especially trained and equipped to put out fires with off-road vehicles;

- Distributions of staples offered by supermarkets to needy households; - Medical care services during various sport competitions, often involving interventions due to falls, malaise, etc.;

- The Group received merit certificates from the Town Authority of Sassari for these services;

- ORISTANO Group: assistance to and relocation of leukemic patients from the various towns in the province to the province capital for specialistic visits, where institutional services are either missing or have very high costs;

- Various teams were set up and trained to put out wood fires during the summer; 105 fire-fighting interventions were carried out with professional skill and spirit of sacrifice;

- Performance of training courses organized by the Region, attended to all members of the Oristano Group;

- Beach patrolling services were performed to provide medical assistance to bathers in difficulty, with the participation of local health-care administration offices;

- The volunteers collected huge quantities of staples and sent them to Albania;

- On request of the Prefecture of Cagliari, the Oristano Group intervened in Assemini to help its population after a flood; the volunteers brought there food and first necessity items with their own vehicles;

- In July, a section of the Oristano Group participated in a Civil Protection drill organized by the CISOM Group of Ozieri in the rural areas of Ozieri, together with other volunteer organization of Northern Sardinia;

- In addition, it is worth mentioning that the CISOM Group of Oristano and province has obtained relevant results, allowing a full and authoritative insertion in the local social and assistance network, apart from the appraisal, prestige and growing consideration that is being given to the Order of Malta;

- PORTO TORRES Group: medical care services in collaboration with the Sea Medical Department and the Harbor Office;

- The prevention and at-sea rescue campaign involved 3 volunteers on Saturdays and Sundays, every week in July and August;

- From June to October the Group was committed in the fire-prevention service, under appointment of the Town Authority of Porto Torres;

- Various assistance and representation services solicited by local parish churches were performed;

- Group volunteers attended a course for sea and air rescue operators organized by the Sea and Air Medical Department and of Porto Torres;

- SORSO Group: Medical assistance service during various religious celebrations, solicited by the organizing committee;

- A fire-fighting campaign was launched in the municipal territory of Sorso and lasted from June 1 through September 30;

- On request of the organizing committee of the local sports association, medical assistance services were provided during bicycle races and other sport events;

- OZIERI Group: medical assistance to pilgrims during their travel to/from the various churches. The service was solicited by municipal authorities;

- Environmental monitoring aimed at preventing the occurrence of wood fires, on account of the municipal environmental office;

- On request of H.E. the Bishop, assistance service to the ill were provided during various religious events;

- Collection of staples for the Kosovo, in collaboration with Caritas Diocesana;

- Drill denominated "Logudoro 99", which involved Group volunteers and volunteers from all Sardinian Groups.

• TUSCANY GROUPING:

- "Missione Arcobaleno", creation of a first-necessity aids collection center for Albania;

- On request of U.N.U.C.I., surveillance of vehicles in the deposit of first-necessity aids directed to Kosovo;

- PISA Group: official participation in the celebrations for the anniversary of the Saint Patroness of our Order, St. Ubaldesca, in Calcinaia (PI), solicited by the Grand Priory Delegate;

- The Group performed a drill in Fauglia (PI) simulating interventions in precarious weather conditions;

- Assistance to pilgrims along the "Route to Santiago de Compostela";

- On request of the Diocese of Pontedera, ambulance services during the diocesan mission organized by the Youth Commission;

- Assistance to the pilgrims and the ill from the Pisa and Florence Delegation at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Montenero (LI).

• MARCHES GROUPING:

- The Group was involved in the raising of funds distributed in the San Severino Marche area and in direct interventions, especially in Serravalle del Chienti, in favor of needy populations;

• UMBRIA GROUPING:

- Medical assistance to the disabled and to needy households;

- Two First Aid courses were attended by 16 volunteers and many young CISOM supporters;

- A service was carried out in Forte Sant'Angelo (Malta). .

• LATIUM GROUPING:

- ROME Group: organization of a First Aid course attended by 18 newly enrolled volunteers, all of which passed the final exam with excellent results;

- Logistic course at the Multi-Purpose Center of Castelnuovo di Porto, involving 35 volunteers; - Many medical assistance services were performed during the year;

- Medical assistance service during the Rome Marathon, involving 25 volunteers, among which 3 physicians and 5 paramedics at 3 first aid stations;

- On request of the SMOM Ambassador at the Italian Republic, a service called "Let's Clean the World" was carried out, involving 5 volunteers;

- On request of the "Roma Tibers Lions Club" 131 entertainment services called "A Sweet Smile" were performed at the Policlinico Gemelli and the San Camillo hospital, to the satisfaction of the organizers and the relatives of terminally ill children;

- Otricoli (TR). European Speed Down Championship, the organizers solicited medical assistance services;

- Implementation of a service in Via della Conciliazione, during the celebrations for the Beatification of Father Pio, with a first-aid tent and 2 ambulances; the service involved 15 volunteers, including 3 physicians and 3 paramedics;

- CEPRANO Group: first-aid drills in Frosinone, during the Spring Feast, with demonstrations of cardio-pulmonar reanimation on dummies;

- Collection of staples for needful households and the old aged at the hospice of Ceprano;

- Representation service at the military airport of Frosinone during the visit of H.E. the Grand Prior of Rome;

- Humanitarian initiative promoted by the G.P. Delegation in favor of kosovar refugees in Macedonia, involving the collection of lots of clothing items and staples;

- On request of the Grand Priory Delegation of Veroli, representation service for the funeral of the mother of the Grand Priory Delegate, Marchese Alessandro Bisleti;

- FERENTINO Group: organization of a First Aid course attended by 20 volunteers;

- SS.COSMA E DAMIANO Group: assistance to patients needing to be relocated to well-equipped specialistic facilities;

- Creation of a humanitarian assistance service in town schools, solicited by municipal and school authorities;

- Municipal authorities solicited the participation in the "Country Carnival" organized and sponsored by the Town Authority;

- CAPRANICA Group: medical assistance service during the "Three Towns Marathon"; the service required two vehicles and involved 8 volunteers;

- Medical assistance service solicited by the municipal authorities during the celebrations for St.Anthony's Day, involving 7 volunteers;

- The Town Authorities of Capranica and Civita Castellana solicited medical assistance services during the Carnival, which involved 8 volunteers;

- Organization of an assistance service for the disabled during Holy Easter holidays;

- Medical assistance during a bicycle race organized by the Italian Sports Center, involving 8 volunteers;

- Representation and assistance to the disabled during the Mass in the Capranica cathedral;

- Eight volunteers were involved in the environment protection day organized by the Lipu (Italian Association for the Protection of Birds) Delegation of Viterbo sponsored by the Town Authority of Capranica;

- Medical assistance during the "Palio dei Rioni" organized by the Town Authority of Capranica, involving 5 volunteers;

- Assistance service in Viterbo during the Procession of St. Rose, involving 25 volunteers from the Groups of Rome, Capranica and Viterbo;

- VITERBO Group: the Group carried out a number of medical assistance and civil protection services in the rural territories of Viterbo;

- Medical assistance service during the "March for the Peace" organized by the parish church of Bassano Romano;

- Organization of a logistic course in Castelnuovo di Porto together with the Rome Group.

• CAMPANIA GROUPING:

- Representation and medical assistance service solicited by the parish priest of the Church of Jesus in Naples;

- Representation and medical assistance service during the World Day of the Sick, solicited by the Archbishop's Curia of Avellino;

- Representation and medical assistance service during the World Day of the Sick, solicited by the Curia of Naples and in agreement with U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I.;

- On request of the Grand Priory of Naples and Sicily, CISOM staff collected boxes containing Christmas cakes and delivered them to reception centers for immigrants and homeless;

- A service solicited by the Organizing Committee of the International Tennis Championships in Naples involved 22 volunteers, among which 3 physicians and 3 paramedics;

- On request of the National Directorate of CISOM, a representation service was performed in Scala (SA), during the Study Convention and Celebration of the Ninth Centennial of the Order of Malta in presence of H.E. the Grand Chancellor, involving 8 volunteers;

• PUGLIA AND LUCANIA GROUPING:

- BARI Group: Organization of the "Blood Donation Day" at the Church of the Holy Rosary;

- Medical assistance service at the cathedral during the Jubilee liturgy, solicited by the Archbishop of Bari;

- ADELFIA Group: medical assistance service during music concerts organized by the Town Authority of Adelfia in order to raise funds for Albanian refugees;

- The Group organized a free medical visit day. The visits were performed by volunteer physicians of CISOM;

- First-aid services during the High School Youth Games, solicited by the school authorities;

- Emergency medical assistance service at the points of passage of bicycle racers of the First "Madonna del Campo" Cup; the service was solicited by the organizers;

- Assistance to a group of volunteers of Malteser Germany, departing from the port of Bari head to Albania, according to the agreements taken with the secretary of H.E. the Grand Hospitaller;

- Medical assistance service solicited by the Feast Committee of Adelfia;

- Medical assistance solicited by the National Association of Italian Non-Commissioned Officers of Adelfia during a cultural event with parade of vintage horse-drawn carriages;

- Organization of a first-aid station with physicians and paramedics at the Group offices to provide assistance to pilgrims passing by Adelfia;

- The priest of the parish church of St. Joseph solicited medical assistance services during the traditional Patron Saint's day;

- CONVERSANO Group: Organization of a collection of staples and clothing for distribution to Albanian and Kosovar refugees;

- Supporting services to streamline the departure from the port of Bari of the German Malteser heading to Albania;

- Various assistance services during the National Soccer Amateur Championships, solicited by the organizers;

- First Aid course attended by 18 volunteers and an equal number of resident youths;

- CASTELLANETA Group: collection of staples for the Kosovo, all the items collected was shipped in military vehicles heading to Albania;

- LECCE Group: creation of a dispensary at the First Refugee Reception Center "Regina Pacis" of San Foca, requiring the daily presence of 3 volunteers;

- Continuous ambulance patrolling along the Otranto coasts in search of clandestine refugees, in cooperation with the Carabinieri and the State Police;

- Medical and humanitarian assistance to the refugees arriving at the port of Brindisi;

- Organization of an emergency point with ambulance, solicited by the Prefecture and the Local Health-Care Administration of Brindisi, in San Cataldo di Lecce;

- Organization of staple collection centers for Kosovar children;

- MOLA DI BARI Group: June 1, official settlement of the Group at the Mother Church of Mola di Bari;

- Emergency service during the celebrations for the Holy Virgin of Altomare;

- Assistance to 12 Chernobyl children on vacation in Mola to breathe better air than in their hometown;

- Group volunteers, solicited by the Harbor Office, contributed to provide assistance to Kosovar refugees;

- Medical assistance during the Patron Saint holiday, solicited by the municipal police of Polignano a Mare;

- BRINDISI Group Group activities during the second half year was quite intense, involving volunteers in social and emergency aid interventions. The Kosovo war and Balkan crisis that lasted throughout the Summer, brought to the coasts of Puglia, and to the port of Brindisi in particular, a large number of refugees on board of civilian ships, who repeatedly required the first-aid and reception services of Group volunteers, especially babies, children, women and elderly persons. The Group received intervention requests always from the Harbor Office of Brindisi and from the Sea and Air Health-Care Department based in the Port Station, the place temporarily used to receive the refugees. On July 14-28, 1999, the Group was particularly involved in emergency interventions. On July 20, two pregnant women who had just gave birth to two babies required the intervention of Doctor Alfredo Vitale and the Group volunteer Ms. Antonella Lonoce. The two women received the first treatment on board of a Harbor Office ship, because a Local Health-Care Administration physician refrained from boarding the vessel because he was not authorized to work beyond the port wharves. The Health Department, Sea and Air Health-Care Department of Brindisi expressed its gratitude to all the volunteers of the CISOM Group of Brindisi who were involved in the emergencies dealt with. The services rendered in general were worth of enthusiastic admiration, considering the scarcity of volunteers in Brindisi during that period. They worked tirelessly, always giving proof of the highest generosity and self-denial, in favor of the many refugees and children who, exhausted from the journey, received the first care and assistance from the female volunteers led by the unbeatable Antonella Lonoce. It is also worth mentioning that often the Group performed first-aid intervention as the only volunteer association in the medical field being there in the related emergency situation. Of the two thousand and five hundred registered refugees who arrived to Brindisi those days, one thousand and ninety three have been assisted by Group volunteers. The donation by private individuals of first-aid rucksacks, 6 10-box crates of latex gloves, masks and other medical material represented an important contribution to those interventions. White polo shirts were prepared for active volunteers to wear in that period. In the quieter periods the Group met the request of the parish priest of Ostuni (BR), Giacomo Prudentino, concerning the restructuring of a small church located in Merlata, along the coast. As the church was in ruins, the priest had to celebrate the religious functions in a private house, where a small altar was erected every Saturday and Sunday. The works, started and completed, gave new dignity to the church. The intervention required the re-building and painting of the perimeter walls. The building materials and a confessional for the sacristy were paid for by the generosity of the Baldassarres, Mr. Oronzo and his wife Antonella, both Group Volunteers. The request of the Study Group on Pediatric Emergency Medicine (M.U.P.) to sponsor the VI° National Convention on held on September 9-12, 1999, provided an opportunity to cultivate the public relations at local and provincial level and underlined once again our duties towards the needy and of whoever may find in our Group material and spiritual aid. Besides, our constant presence in the territory allows us to introduce the Italian Ambulance Group of the Order of Malta and its institutions purposes to those who had ignored the existence of the Association so far. Italian and foreign speakers at the Convention were offered an artistic present: a ceramic creation by Carla Molina, representing the milestones at the end of the Via Appia, a local monument of the Roman Age, and the logos of M.U.P. (a child on a toy car) and of the CISOM Group of Brindisi. The opening session of the Convention saw the intervention of Attorney Oscar Lojodice, Magistral Knight of Grace and Head of CISOM Group of Puglia and Lucania. The cost of the initiative was borne by the Baldassarre family. On October 5, 1999 the Group was invited by the Harbor Office of Brindisi to the presentation ceremony of a new Coast Guard vessel in transit in the port. On October 9, the Brindisi Group was invited by the Medical Panel of the Hospital of Brindisi to lend a hand with the relocation to the new hospital premises. During the meeting, the persons at the head of other Association expressed their availability in terms of their presence in the new premises only for the purposes of receiving and escorting the patients' relatives in the various divisions, considering that the new building is very large. CISOM, answering to the issues put forward by the Medical Supervisor Dr. Giuseppe Giuri, ensured the availability of volunteers for patient relocation. Our pro-active participation gained the acknowledgment and admiration of all the presents: the reception of patients and their relatives was completed at the end of December. Volunteers were organized and instructed to perform their duties also thanks to the exceptional coordination abilities of volunteer Antonella Lonoce. On October 16 the Group was invited by Master Giuseppe Attanasi

- Board Member in the Italian Tae-kwon-do Federation - to participate in the International Contest in the memory of Andrea Romano, a young athlete killed last July in a car accident. The sport events, sponsored by the President of the Council of Ministers, was particularly touching when Andrea's parents thanked the participants in the event dedicated to the memory of their son. The Brindisi Group, contacted by Medical Colonel Antonio Masetti of the Military Policlinic of Roma, Internal Medicine Division, Pediatric Services, was asked to liaise with the hospitals in the province of Brindisi for the possible opening of a humanitarian corridor (Albania, Kosovo, Italy), verifying their availability to hospitalize in their Pediatric Divisions, Kosovar or Albanian children suffering from serious diseases and to host a relative of theirs. These children were to be visited at the Italian military camp hospitals (Italfo-Kfor) in Albania and Kosovo, and then sent to Brindisi to continue the treatment at the hospitals contacted by the CISOM Group of Brindisi. The Group responded to the invitation, and the General Manager of the Local Health-Care Administration A.S.L. BR71 Domenico Lagravinese asked immediately the Pediatric Unit of the Hospital of Fasano (BR), that expressed its availability to treat the children and host a relative of theirs free of charge. The Group stipulated agreements with the General Agent of the motor ship "Jupiter" Mr. Nicola Basile, owner of the Ship's Agency "Ionian Marittime" of Brindisi to obtain free tickets for the children and their relatives.

On December 3, during a convention, the BRINAIL Association (Association for the Fight Against Leukemia) in person of its Chairperson Ms. Margherita Dicampi required the intervention of CISOM to solve the humanitarian case of a Kosovar child suffering from leukemia and hospitalized at the Hematology Division of Summa di Brindisi. The Group was asked to inform the competent authorities about the situation and suggest that the boy's parents should be found, his mother in particular, as the boy, who had no relatives in Italy, had repeatedly expressed the desire to see his mother. Ms. Margherita Di Campi reported that, together with Ms. Adele Tundo, a voluntary of the Dioceses Caritas Association of Brindisi-Ostuni, had promised to young Morina Besnik that his mother would have been by his side for Christmas.

On December 21, the Group was invited by the Town Authority of Brindisi to participate with a representation to the ceremony for the consignment of the UNO flag to the town of Brindisi, in consideration of the contribution and the generosity with which town residents and volunteer associations have provided care, assistance and support to the thousands of refugees who in subsequent phases arrived at Brindisi.

• WEST SICILY GROUPING:

- Organization of a First Aid course attended by 13 volunteers and many youths;

- Medical assistance services were provided in various occasions, all solicited by the Curia of Palermo;

- During the celebrations for St. John the Baptist's Day and the Ninth Centennial of the Order of Malta, volunteers from all over Italy - almost five hundred - gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the solemn Mass of the Holy Pope .