The new Residence for the Execution of Security Measures (REMS) of the ASP was inaugurated this morning in Naso, in the province of Messina. Numerous political, military, justice and social authorities were present. Present among others were the mayor of Naso Gaetano Nani, the general director of the ASP Giuseppe Cuccì, the official of the professionalism of the social service of the Ministry of Justice Tinuccia Tornabene, the regional deputy Pino Galluzzo, the secretary of the CISL FP Giovanna Bicchieri.
“The structure – explained the director of the Technical Office of the ASP Salvatore Trifiletti – which will accommodate 20 psychiatric patients who have committed crimes, has now been transferred to new accredited premises of over 1,500 square metres, more functional, safe and adapted to modern rehabilitation standards”. The Simple Departmental Operational Unit (UOSD) REMS–CTA Naso, which overall manages 40 beds between REMS and Assisted Therapeutic Community, is directed by Dr. Nicola Gambardella and is based within the Mental Health Department (DSM) which manages and coordinates the entire psychiatry sector of the ASP of Messina (including the CSM, the SPDC and the residential facilities) and is directed by Dr. Joseph Rao. REMS healthcare is guaranteed 24 hours a day by three Psychiatric Medical Directors on active duty and ready to be available. The multidisciplinary team includes nurses, social and health workers (OSS), psychologists, social workers, psychiatric rehabilitation technicians and private security personnel: all fundamental figures for the implementation of the therapeutic and rehabilitation process. The opening represented an achievement of great civil value for Sicily, as it ensures modern care paths, respectful of the dignity of the person and oriented towards full social inclusion.
“Here are some of the rehabilitation activities – states Gambardella – which can be further expanded with the opening of the new REMS headquarters in Naso, taking into account the rehabilitation mission and the integrated therapeutic model (health, psychological and social), among these individual therapeutic-rehabilitative activities: such as individual psychological and psychiatric clinical interviews, psychotherapeutic support and orientation treatments, personalized clinical stabilization and symptom management programmes, health education and disease awareness interventions, management training of impulsiveness, anger and emotions, motivational support for adhering to the therapeutic project and the path of reintegration”https://messina.gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/cronaca/2025/11/11/a-naso-inaugurata-la-nuova-residenza-per-lsistenza-delle-misure-di-sicurezza-rems-dellasp-di-messina-60a39824-9320-4595-b2ae-fa82cfc4ef87/.”Here instead – he continues – group activities: such as psychoeducational groups (on mental disorders, drug therapy, relapse prevention), social skills training groups (social skills, assertive communication, conflict management), problem solving and decision making groups, relaxation, mindfulness and anxiety management groups, expressive workshops (art, music, theatre, writing, photography). Then there are the occupational and laboratory activities: horticultural therapy and garden care workshops (using the external spaces of the new headquarters), maintenance workshops. and DIY, manual and craft activities. Cooking and home autonomy workshops (care of the environment, preparation of meals, economic management), graphic design, painting, ceramics and creative recycling activities, IT and digital literacy workshops. Furthermore, physical activity and conscious motor skills workshops: activities in collaboration with local sports associations social inclusion and reintegration activities: protected internship projects and work grants in collaboration with local bodies and cooperatives, guided volunteering activities and gradual reintegration into the social context, planned outings in the area (museums, cultural and sporting events, markets), civic education and social responsibility projects, collaborations with local networks (social services, UEPE, third sector associations), and finally, training and empowerment activities, internal training courses to acquire skills useful for reintegration (basic IT, money management, home education), interventions. of life skills education (personal autonomy, time management, responsibility), exit preparation courses and post-remission follow-up”.
The current Strategic Management of the ASP of Messina composed of the general director Giuseppe Cuccì, together with the administrative director Giancarlo Niutta and the health director Giuseppe Ranieri Trimarchi, has unblocked a complex bureaucratic-administrative process, obtaining regional accreditation and completing the necessary structural and technological equipment. The general director of the ASP Giuseppe Cuccì stated “We will soon ask to double the number of beds to make the structure even better. The activation of the Naso REMS represents a fundamental step towards a system that is more respectful of rights, closer to the territories and more effective in the protection of mental health, favoring alternative therapeutic paths to the custodial logic and focusing on accountability, continuity of care and integration with local services. The Naso REMS represents a strategic piece of our mental health system: a safe and therapeutic in which the safety measure becomes a path of treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration. We focus on multidisciplinary teams, protocols shared with the judicial authority and strong integration with local services, to guarantee personalized care, continuity of care and protection of the rights of people and the community. From today we are making an additional tool available to the Surveillance Judiciary and the community to make it more fair, effective and closer to people. our system of protection and care. “The choice to locate the structure in the Nebrodi area – added the director of the Mental Health Department Pippo Rao – strengthens proximity to services, reduces waiting times and transfers outside the area, and enhances the network with the Mental Health Departments”. The mayor of Naso Gaetano Nanì is also satisfied: “We are particularly proud to inaugurate a health and social reference point for the entire regional territory. It is a facility of excellence, among the best in Italy, which welcomes and professionally follows therapeutic and reintegration paths”.