ALUMNI | 31/03/2020

#DearBocconiansInAction ... by Raffaella Ester Civardi

A 2001 CLEA ALUMNA, RAFFAELLA WORKS FOR THE ITALIAN RED CROSS. SHE WRITES THAT, SINCE 21 FEBRUARY, THE DAYS HAVE BEEN MARKED BY DESPERATE SEARCHES FOR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR AMBULANCE PERSONNEL, WHILE TRYING TO AVOID BLACK MARKET PRICES, NONCOMPLIANT PRODUCTS AND POTENTIAL SCAMS

I am proud to work for a territorial unit of the Italian Red Cross, an extraordinary institution that has given me unique management experience.

This is a dystopian moment in which all ordinary lives, even unusual ones like mine, have been distorted. My plan was to finish a wide range of reports by April, when I found myself catapulted into a disaster movie. Since February 21, my days have been marked by desperate searches for personal protective equipment for ambulance personnel, while trying to avoid black market prices, non-compliant products and potential scams, navigating potential tax and customs uncertainties and the hourly disinfection of premises and equipment.

Some days are dedicated to understanding the chemical make-up of the best detergent to maximize the disintegration of virus proteins and minimize the corrosion of the surfaces of ambulances and medical instruments, as well as minimizing intoxications.

The emergency has become a laboratory for management experience. In our Italian Red Cross unit, for example, we are using a simplified version of the Incident Command System. Volunteers with relevant work experience in operating theaters trained all staff in dressing and undressing procedures.

I would like to send a heartfelt message to the entire Bocconi community: faculty, researchers, staff, students and alumni. You haven't stopped. It is now your turn to fight. Thank you!

We need to study, understand, analyze and debate, right now, immediately, to overcome this moment, but above all to make all of humanity safe. In the end, we will be evaluated by the world, much like the scientists who are working on vaccines, for the degree to which we have been able to guarantee the prosperous and healthy long-term survival of socio-economic systems.

We should therefore learn from the operational sectors, civil protection for example, as in the past we let ourselves be inspired by the military strategy. Pandemics are a risk scenario that individuals, companies, and local, state and interstate public institutions should know how to plan for with a flexible and interdisciplinary mindset. We are working to ensure that healthcare returns to being a strategic sector that is not undermined by low-profile business logic. In general, we are working on giving Italy back its industrial strategy.

We cannot abandon Italy. We travel and learn, but we come back. In this difficult moment, we are all giving our best and it is a scientific demonstration that value can be created in Italy.

Thank you all, and warm greetings to the entire Bocconi community.