Waldfriede Adventist Hospital, located in Berlin-Zehlendorf, is “a small but fine house,” stated Ms. Katrin Lompscher, Berlin senator for health, environment, and consumer protection, in her welcome address to the guests attending Waldfriede Adventist Hospital's 90th anniversary celebration on April 17, 2010.
The 170-bed hospital is an important care center for people living in the southwest area of Berlin. In addition to being an acute care hospital, it also provides primary clinical care and other services such as outpatient physiotherapy, short-term care and social assistance care. The hospital has adopted a holistic approach in caring for patients: equal attention is given to prevention, medical care, follow-up care, pastoral care and counselling. Norbert Kopp, district mayor of Berlin-Steglitz-Zehlendorf, praised this holistic, patient-centered approach based on Christian charity.
The hospital not only feels a responsibility for people but also for the environment. Waldfriede Adventist Hospital has twice received the quality award from the German environmental organization BUND for establishing facilities that effectively reduce energy consumption and carbonic acid gas emissions.
When Dr. Louis E. Conradi first opened the hospital on April 15, 1920, it had only 39 beds, and the operating room was not yet finished. Since then, Waldfriede has been constantly growing. Additional construction and other enhancements have been implemented over the years to ensure professionalism and a high-quality of medical care. For example, Waldfriede was the first clinic in Germany to introduce the “baby hatch”.
“Waldfriede Hospital has developed into a health center one can be proud of,” stated Hermann Schmitt, manager of Barmer-GEK health insurance company and chairman of the national committee of the health insurance companies of the Berlin/Brandenburg area. The hospital houses the following departments and services:
- the Prima Vita health center, which offers more than 400 preventive medical courses and seminars to young and old.
- social assistance care, which provides nursing home care to approximately 160 patients daily.
- 2 short-term care facilities.
- the Academy of Health and Nursing (former Nursing School), which offers a bachelor’s degree in health and nursing sciences in cooperation with a university in the US.
- a service company, which caters to other care institutions, schools and day-care centers in the area.
- a day-care center for 65 children.
- a swimming pool for hydrotherapy treatment.
“The patients benefit from the commitment of the hospital’s staff as they put the guiding principles of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in to practice. It is an enriching experience to see that state-of-the-art medicine and loving care need not contradict each other,” Schmitt added.In his key address, Pastor Günther Machel, president of the South German Union of Seventh-day Adventists, stated that although many people know what they are against, they lack common values. A person may be judged by his or her economic value, employment position (CEO, artist, or footballer) or outward appearance. With this judgement, the danger exists that one becomes classified as either “valuable” or “worthless”. However, Waldfriede Hospital believes that even the neediest human being is not worthless but equipped with dignity bestowed on him by his Creator.
Despite the fact that the number of beds decreased from 230 in 1985 to 170 today, the number of patients has increased. Nine thousand inpatients and 13,000 outpatients were treated in the clinic last year. In 1985, there were only 5,500 inpatients and 3,500 outpatients. In addition, since 1985, the total number of staff has doubled from 410 to 820. “Due to its specialization, the hospital has also developed into an international health network center and enjoys the confidence of several diplomatic embassies located in Berlin,” stated Bernd Quoß, the hospital manager.
Waldfriede Hospital cooperates with partner hospitals worldwide. Since 2008, an especially close cooperation has been maintained with the Florida Hospital Group in Orlando, USA.