Rehab clinic for sick children with families starts in the east

In Strausberg in Brandenburg, a new rehabilitation clinic for children with heart disease and their families aims to close a gap in eastern Germany. According to the German Pension Insurance Association, the aftercare clinic at Straussee is the only facility for so-called family-oriented rehabilitation in the eastern German states. The focus is initially on pediatric cardiology, but there are plans to expand to pediatric oncology in the future, according to the aftercare clinic at Straussee. According to the Bundesverband Herzkranke Kinder (Federal Association of Children with Heart Disease), there are currently only facilities in Tannheim near Villingen-Schwenningen (Baden-Württemberg) and Katharinenhöhe in Schönwald/Schwarzwald (both Baden-Württemberg) as well as Bad Oexen near Bad Oeynhausen (North Rhine-Westphalia) for the rehabilitation of children with heart disease. For children with cancer, the Sylt-Klinik (Schleswig-Holstein) will be added.

Whole family treated together

This concept involves the entire family of seriously ill children in the rehabilitation stay. According to the German Pension Insurance Association and the new clinic, there was previously no family-oriented rehabilitation program in eastern Germany. At full capacity, the clinic in Strausberg will be able to accommodate around 600 families per year. The waiting times for family rehab are up to two years nationwide.

Brandenburg's Minister of Health René Wilke (SPD) called the new clinic a beacon. "It is a place of hope, confidence and new courage to face life, especially for children and young people with heart disease and their families, who also receive therapeutic care here after a long ordeal," said Wilke. "There are only five clinics in Germany dedicated to this important task, and only one in the east of the country."

The aftercare clinic at Straussee is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Milaa gGmbH, which in turn is a subsidiary of the Evangelischer Diakonieverein Berlin-Zehlendorf. The costs for the aftercare clinic at Straussee were reported to be 25 million euros for the building, covered by the charitable Peter and Ingeborg Fritz Foundation. In addition, 12 million euros were spent on equipment and staff, most of which came from GLS Gemeinschaftsbank. Brandenburg approved a guarantee of 7.2 million euros.