Project and parents' associations with a big heart

We are delighted to have had such continuous and extensive help with the implementation of major projects in our Clinical Department for several years now. The Project & Parents' Associations are committed to helping our patients and their families. With the active help of Kleine Herzen Hannover e.V. and KINDERHERZ hannover e.V., we have achieved a great deal together. You can find some of the great projects in the "Patient information - help for parents" section, for example.

Kleine Herzen Hannover e.V.

If you walk across ward level 68 of the MHH Children's Hospital today, the pediatric cardiac ward, you will see much that was still a dream ten years ago: Bright and comfortable parent-child rooms, each with its own shower and toilet; a parents' quiet room so that stressed mothers and fathers can retreat in between and make a cup of tea or coffee; a patient kitchen and playroom; friendly examination rooms and a separate room for the sensitive discussions of our social worker and psychologist, who look after the worries and emotional problems of the patient families.

The"Kleine Herzen Hannover" project association - founded by parents who are themselves affected - was involved in financing the renovations, but also contributed to the planning and conceptual work, because: The aim is to develop and implement new, professional standards of care!

For example, an interpreting service for foreign patients was set up in cooperation with the "Ethno-Medical Center Hanover"; the deployment of the social worker and two psychologists is financed by donations from "Little Hearts Hanover", as is the weekly meeting of affected parents with our art therapist. Motto: Color for the soul. A relaxation room for the intensive care unit, where parents can even spend the night in emergencies. And in particularly stressful situations, psychologically trained physicians and nursing staff are available around the clock as crisis counselors. For this project, "Kleinen Herzen Hannover" was awarded the "KAI Förderpreis Intensivpflege 2017" by "Deutschland - Land der Ideen", by the "Wirtschaftsförderung Region Göttingen", and in 2019 with the Lower Saxony Prize for Civic Engagement "unbezahlbar & freiwillig".

KINDERHERZ Hannover e.V.

KINDERHERZ hannover e. V. was founded in 2005 as the brainchild of a few friends from Hanover who wanted to give something back to their city and the region with united commitment and passion. The basic idea is to support pediatric heart surgery in the children's hospital at Hannover Medical School.

In order to make the difficult situation easier for the children and parents affected, the association has been able to create a family-like atmosphere by converting cardiac ward 68.

KINDERHERZ hannover will continue to provide funds for the repair and maintenance of ward 68, as well as for the procurement of medical equipment, the assumption of surgical costs and support for research projects.

In the first ten years of the association's existence, we have been able to provide funds of more than five hundred thousand euros for the care of children with heart disease and their families through the voluntary efforts of all members and friends. The board of the association (Hanns Werner Staude, Sascha Casado, Steven Cherundolo and Jörg Rosenbaum) is actively involved in the acquisition of new donations.

We would like to thank everyone who has accompanied us on this journey with their commitment and will continue to support us in the future.

Through constant exchange with our partners in pediatric heart surgery at Hannover Medical School, new projects can be developed on an ongoing basis, which we will be happy to support in the future.