A strong healthcare system Progressive and qualified
Providing people with comprehensive medical care is one of the challenges that rural regions – like the Ostalbkreis district – have increasingly had to face for years. With innovative strategies and numerous facilities, the district ensures that people receive comprehensive medical care, from prevention to aftercare and rehabilitation.
Ensuring medical care
Currently, 191 general practitioners have their offices in one of the towns or municipalities in the Ostalbkreis. 235 specialists ensure that people receive prompt and rapid specialist treatment. In addition, there are 70 psychotherapists. To counteract the shortage of specialists in the medical landscape, the medical associations of Aalen and Schwäbisch Gmünd, the Ostalb clinics and the district administration have founded the steering committee „Medical Care in the Ostalbkreis“, in which the local medical association and municipalities are involved. The steering committee deals with the topics of promoting and recruiting young physicians, outpatient care by general practitioners, outpatient care by specialists and primary care in the district.
Regular dialog events are also held to monitor the supply of primary care physicians, to assess the current situation in the area of primary care, to bundle the plans of physicians and municipalities for the coming years, to further develop the cooperation of the local players and to develop individual options for action and supply models.
To date, this has resulted in two family doctor cooperatives consisting of municipalities and physicians: The members of MEDWALD eG (Schwäbischer Wald) and VirnMed eG (Ellwangen/ Virngrund) see clear advantages in the cooperative system, especially for young physicians. For the salaried employees, the entrepreneurial risk and the necessary administrative tasks of their own practice are eliminated.
In addition, the Swabian Forest Health Network has been set up for primary care. This is a multiprofessional alliance to enable the continuous treatment of patients along the supply chain in an efficient manner. The target group includes, in particular, chronically ill patients and patients with multiple illnesses. The network now has two patient guides who act according to case management methods and coordinate, organize, and individually plan and advise. In addition, a further medical staff member, the „Community Health Nurse“, provides support with general prevention and health promotion and independently carries out home visits, check-ups and routine examinations.
All measures are bundled on the Mediportal Ostalbkreis platform created for this purpose (www.mediportal-ostalbkreis.de). In addition, interested physicians are given an insight into the existing opportunities to establish themselves in the Ostalbkreis district.
All-round care through the hospital network
The three large clinics, the Ostalbklinikum in Aalen, the St. Anna-Virngrund Klinik in Ellwangen and the Stauferklinik in Schwäbisch Gmünd, are part of a decentralized hospital structure in the network. With more than 1,100 beds, 50,000 inpatients and over 100,000 outpatients treated annually, Kliniken Ostalb is one of the top healthcare providers in the district. The wide range of services and specialties at a high medical level with numerous certifications covers the needs of the people in the district in care, prevention and aftercare. All three clinics are also teaching hospitals of the University of Ulm.
The population is actively involved in the sustainable design of the clinic structure. The primary goal is and remains to offer the residents of the district high-quality medical care with good accessibility, whose infrastructure is also attractive for nursing staff and doctors.
Well accompanied
In addition to the Ostalb Clinics, there are other specialized medical facilities in the district that provide outpatient care. For example, the Wachkoma Bopfingen Aktivpflege with 14 care places, where coma patients receive care and therapy tailored to their needs.
The SRH Fachkrankenhaus Neresheim specializes in the treatment of neurological injuries. The specialist hospital holds the status of an acute hospital and has 64 beds, 24 of which are in the intensive care unit. In the specialist departments of intensive care and neurological early rehabilitation, specialists in neurology, internal medicine, anesthesia, and physical and rehabilitative medicine care for patients with brain damage.
The area of pregnancy support and birth as well as aftercare and care afterwards are also important areas of health care and are covered in the Ostalbkreis by a large number of independent midwives as well as birth centers and practices.
Care, rehab, prevention
The Ostalbkreis has 46 fully inpatient care facilities in 23 towns and communities that have a care contract with the long-term care insurance funds. Outpatient care facilities, i.e. support services in the home of those in need of care, are available throughout the district. In addition, short-term care facilities are available in 23 communities, and 16 communities also offer day-care services. Rehab centers or specialized rehab facilities are also available for care and recovery after illness. Prevention is important for maintaining long-term health. Lectures and courses on a wide range of topics, from nutrition to fall prevention for seniors, are held regularly by various health care facilities. This also includes the work of the numerous sports clubs with exercise programs for every age group. Strengthening mental health is also an important building block for healthy and happy growing up, living and aging. For example, the project „Healthy Opportunities for Children and Families – Prevention Network against Child Poverty in the Ostalbkreis“ aims to give children with a migration history or single parents the opportunity to realize their own potential.
Another preventive measure is the establishment of the Resilience Center Ostalbkreis with a focus on population protection and health. The project, which is funded with 700,000 euros, is financed through the BULE federal rural development program of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction. As a result, the population and the Ostalbkreis district itself should be better able to cope with crises, disasters and hazards such as climate impacts, demographic change or pandemics. The project’s cooperation partners are the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior, the Ostwürttemberg Regional Association, the Ostalb Education Office, as well as Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences, Aalen University of Applied Sciences and Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education.
Health and care – professions with a future
Those who would like to learn a profession in the field of health or care in the Ostalbkreis district first have the opportunity to attend the social and health science high school „Health and Biology“ or to attend one of the various training courses as well as vocational colleges for health and care. These are offered at the Institute for Social Professions St Loreto, the Diakonisches Institut für Soziale Berufe, the DAA Pflegeschule Aalen or the Agnes von Hohenstaufen Schule.
To strengthen training and continuing education in medical and nursing professions, Kliniken Ostalb established the Gesundheitsakademie Ostalb in 2020, a central educational institution for the clinics based in Ellwangen and two additional nursing schools in Aalen and Schwäbisch Gmünd. Those who want to continue their education in the medical and nursing professions can do so, for example, at the Ellwangen health campus, the glp – Berufliche Schule Gesundheit – Labor – Pflege. The KWBW continuing education association for general medicine in the Ostalbkreis district also offers physicians whose goal is to specialize in general medicine an interdisciplinary seminar program that guides them in a structured manner through their training as specialists. The Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education also offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in prevention and health promotion as well as nursing science and pedagogy. At Aalen University, in addition to the Health Management course, there will also be a Bachelor’s degree course in Physician Assistant from the winter semester of 2022/2023. Completed vocational training in a health profession is not required to be admitted to the program.
Students of human medicine with the professional goal of becoming a family doctor or specialist in the Ostalbkreis district are also supported by the district with attractive scholarship programs.