On July 24, 2020, Humanitas inaugurated its Emergency Hospital 19, a new emergency care center in Milan, Italy. Built by Techint Engineering & Construction in just 11 weeks, it features an emergency room, a diagnostic center, an intensive and sub-intensive therapy center, operating theaters and hospital wards.

The hospital was designed to be replicated so that it can be exported to other regions and communities. In addition to functioning as an emergency service, it specializes in the treatment of infectious emergencies and the scientific investigation of viruses such as COVID-19.

TenarisDalmine and the Rocca Foundation contributed, one million euros each through the Humanitas Foundation for Research to build three of the Emergency Hospitals 19, further supported by contributions from Banco Intesa Sanpaolo.

"We decided to invest our resources and energy in a highly technological structure, the fruit of Italian medical and engineering knowledge at its best, as a response to the challenges we are facing," explained Gianfelice Rocca, President of Humanitas. "These centers are a testimony to Humanitas's strong relationship with the communities where it is present."

In parallel, Humanitas has launched a scientific research program into infectious diseases, starting with immunology, which is the area of maximum competence at the Humanitas Research Center.

"We have experienced a 'back to the future' moment as regards infectious diseases, of which COVID-19 is just the latest example, and it is something we must learn to live with," said Professor Alberto Mantovani, Scientific Director of Humanitas. “In this context, it is essential to be prepared: for example, with the Emergency Hospital 19 we have the best therapy available and a direct relationship between the laboratory and clinical research, as well as the possibility of using the most advanced technologies, in particular, computer science and artificial intelligence approaches to patient care.”