New day clinic in Ludwigsfelde: A ray of hope for sick children!

New day clinic in Ludwigsfelde: A ray of hope for sick children!

A new attempt in pediatric care: the first day clinic for children and adolescents in the south of Brandenburg was opened in the Evangelical Hospital Ludwigsfelde-Teltow. This facility offers a tailored solution for young patients who require medical care but do not need to stay overnight. Chief physician Georg Reinholz emphasizes that the day clinic was created out of an imperative need: many health insurance companies no longer recognize certain treatments as inpatient stays, which can lead to a gap in care. Equipped with ten beds, the clinic enables daily medical care for small patients.

The children and their parents come to the day clinic in the morning, where they receive comprehensive diagnostics and therapy. After a few hours the children can go home. In particular, planned examinations such as upper gastrointestinal examinations require special pediatric sedation, which is often not guaranteed in medical practices. This is where the day clinic comes in by providing optimal monitoring of the children in a suitable setting. After such procedures are carried out, the little patients stay for follow-up care for between two and three hours.

A complementary offer

The facility does not see itself as competition to established practices, but rather as a supplement to the existing medical offering. Some patients are admitted directly from the rescue center or receive referrals from pediatricians for special examinations. This measure is particularly useful as the number of births in Berlin and Brandenburg has fallen by around 20 percent since 2021, while Ludwigsfelde remains a growing municipality. The day clinic is therefore intended to ensure sustainable pediatric medical care in the region.

An additional concern of the day clinic is to overcome challenges such as the flat-rate billing system, which provides for lower flat rates per case in the children's clinic than in other specialist departments. Overall, the day clinic is part of a comprehensive strategy to expand the medical spectrum with the aim of ensuring stable care and improving treatment options for children.

Therapeutic approaches

The day clinic offers a comprehensive treatment concept that takes both medical and psychosocial aspects into account. Numerous therapeutic procedures are used. From individual and group discussions to creative therapeutic approaches and animal-assisted therapy, everything is offered to provide the children with the best possible support. What is important is the trusting relationship between the therapists, the parents and the children, which is crucial for the change process.

Parents also play a central role in the treatment process. Close cooperation is important because they are considered experts for their children. Regular family discussions and preparation for life after treatment are essential parts of the program. We work together with parents to improve parent-child interaction, which is crucial for stabilizing the child.

A learning therapy center on the hospital grounds also offers support with the children's schooling. Therapy offers are aimed at the challenges that children experience in their everyday lives and try to find individual solutions.

Overall, the new day clinic in Ludwigsfelde offers welcome support for families in the region and focuses on a holistic approach to treatment. The aim is to take the needs of the child and the parents into account as best as possible and to promote long-term solutions.