We support patients of all ages born with facial malformations along a multidisciplinary, continuous and accessible care pathway, from prenatal diagnosis to the end of growth, with the aim of fostering their full social integration, in Italy and around the world.
Smile House Fondazione ETS is a Third Sector Entity that operates through a national Network of specialised centres to guarantee every person an integrated, coordinated and human model of care.
Our action is based on three fundamental pillars:
Discover the people, the ethical commitment and the network of collaborations that guarantee the excellence and integrity of every intervention we carry out.
“An idea born to stay. A Network built to last”
2000
On 20 January 2000, the first founding group came into being, giving rise to a pioneering project dedicated to the treatment of facial malformations in collaboration with other organisations operating in various countries around the world. It was the beginning of a vision born to offer concrete answers to those in need: the young patients and their families.
2005
To respond to the growing demand for integrated, ongoing care in Italy, in 2005 the association became a Foundation. This step allowed us to acquire the legal status needed to begin designing an increasingly structured, multidisciplinary care model.
2008
We sign the first Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health: the Smile House Project is officially born. This step marks the start of formal collaboration between the National Health Service and our organisation, essential for creating a multidisciplinary care model that can be replicated across the country.
2010
From 2010 onwards, we activate regional protocols to develop our Hub & Spoke model and ensure local access to care throughout Italy. We are also committed to training specialists and to collaborations with international bodies and universities for scientific research, as well as promoting continuity of care as a right for every patient.
2023
With registration in the National Single Register of the Third Sector (RUNTS), we officially become Smile House Fondazione ETS. Today we are a point of reference for craniomaxillofacial malformations, ensuring complete, sustainable and human care pathways, from prenatal diagnosis through to adulthood.
Today
Every day we carry forward our mission: we offer multidisciplinary care pathways aimed at the patient’s full social integration, we are committed to scientific research into facial malformations and we promote specialist training across the various surgical and clinical fields involved. You too can help write this story!
“We exist to guarantee every person born with a facial malformation the right to accessible, continuous and humane care, wherever they are.”
We believe that access to an appropriate care pathway is a fundamental right that must not depend on where a person is born or lives.
We work every day to build a network of services and expertise able to respond concretely, professionally and respectfully to the needs of those facing a long and complex journey.
We are committed to ensuring that no one has to face diagnosis, fear or distance alone, supporting our patients and their families from prenatal diagnosis through to adulthood and full social integration.
“We want to build a Network model of excellence that allows anyone to access complete, integrated care pathways.”
We want to become the national point of reference for the management of craniomaxillofacial malformations. Through our Hub & Spoke operating model, we aim to integrate with and strengthen the National Health Service, building on local centres of excellence to put an end to healthcare migration once and for all.
We dream of a system based on consistent, sustainable and replicable pathways, and we are ready to export the effectiveness of the Smile House model beyond national borders too.
We want to create a system that puts the person at the centre, with an approach shared between institutions, professionals, families and communities.
“We support patients of all ages, born with facial malformations, along multidisciplinary, continuous and accessible care pathways that foster genuine, full social integration.”
Every day we operate within a solid, well-prepared national Network of centres of excellence, able to offer complete, coordinated specialist care as close as possible to patients and their families.
We work in close collaboration with Ministries, bodies, institutions and universities to ensure equity and sustainability in care. We invest in the professional training of doctors, surgeons and healthcare workers, and in scientific and genetic research, because we are convinced that knowledge and innovation are essential tools for improving clinical outcomes and opening up new therapeutic prospects.
“Every choice, action and project we undertake is based on principles that guide the way we work and the relationships we build with everyone involved: patients, families, professionals, institutions and donors.”
We believe that the effectiveness of our work depends first and foremost on the way we choose to operate. Our values define who we are, guide our daily work and give deep meaning to our commitment over time.
We promote a collaborative working environment, an essential foundation for the flawless execution of every project. We work to improve the efficiency of our teams and foster the growth of our organisation through the sharing of expertise.
We value the professionalism of all resources, internal and external, who work with the Foundation. We generate value through the constant development of professional skills, investing in talent and experience to offer standards of excellence in care.
We act with transparency and integrity to repay the trust that patients, families and donors place in us every day. Integrity guides our relationship with all professionals, ensuring ethical, responsible conduct that respects individual sensitivities.
We work with enthusiasm and dedication, confident that commitment improves the quality of our organisation. We put our heart into every challenge to generate a real benefit for our patients and their families, accompanying them with warmth throughout their entire care pathway.
