Ninth round of local town halls on the three new SNF hospitals

We remain committed to our pledge to keep open lines of communication with the local communities of Thessaloniki, Komotini, and Sparta throughout the construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini, and the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta, respectively, and we are organizing another round of townhall meetings in these three regions.

Representatives of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the Ministry of Health, construction contractor AVAX Group, and Project Manager Hill International, will participate in the meetings.

Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous will take part in the discussions, while the SNF Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos, will deliver a greeting via live link.

• SNF General Hospital of Sparta: Monday, February 9, at 18:00 at the Sparta Municipal Indoor Sports Center.

The first townhall meeting pertained to the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and took place on Monday, February 2, at the Filyro Municipal Gymnasium, where 250 members of the public and health professionals gathered. The meeting opened with a spotlight on the Foundation’s commitment to establishing the first pediatric hospital in Greece outside Attica, focusing on the needs of the users who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of the project. This was followed by remarks from the Mayor of Pilea-Hortiatis and representatives of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, the 3rd Regional Health District, and the leadership of the Hellenic Ministry of Health. Representatives of the construction contractor and the project manager then took the floor to present the progress and next milestones of the project in detail. A representative of the Design Team talked about the innovations in the design and construction of the hospital’s wooden facade, noting the pioneering fire safety certification obtained in September 2025. After the presentation, as at every meeting, the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions, which focused mainly on the hospital’s staffing and outfitting, the accompanying infrastructure projects, and a desire to implement arts-based therapeutic programs.

The townhall meeting on the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini had a similarly positive atmosphere on Tuesday, February 3. The meeting, held in the city center at the REX Theater, was attended by an engaged audience of around 220, including representatives of local government and the Regional Health District, as well as local religious leaders and health professionals. The discussion followed a similar structure to that of the meeting in Thessaloniki, focusing on the presentation of the project’s progress since the last meeting and upcoming construction milestones, emphasizing the importance of incorporating the innovative wooden facade and securing a pioneering fire safety certification. Questions from the audience focused on staffing and on the training of medical and nursing personnel in the use of the new equipment, as well as on whether the Greek government could create incentives to draw Greek health professionals currently working abroad home.

The design, construction, and outfitting of the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, the SNF General Hospital of Komotini, and the SNF General Hospital of Sparta are part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), a $1 billion effort fully funded by SNF. The development of the three state-of-the-art new SNF hospitals reflects a vision shared by SNF and internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano for the creation of model hospitals of the future, based on a deeply human-centered approach and incorporating pioneering environmental standards. Upon completion of the construction and outfitting process, the three new SNF hospitals will be delivered to the Greek state for immediate operation within the framework of the National Health System.