The Waldfriede hospital, in Berlin-Zehlendorf, celebrated its 100th anniversary in April 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony of the anniversary service could only take place on September 10, 2022 in the Audimax (Auditorium) of the University of Berlin. While the hospital is now 102 years old, the ‘Akademie Waldfriede’, founded on July 1, 1922 as a state-recognised nursing school, celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Ceremony
In her welcoming address to 800 guests, Ulrike Gote (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Senator for Science, Health, Care and Equality of Berlin, attested to the "excellent reputation" of the 160-bed Waldfriede Hospital, founded in 1920. It is a modern institution that has constantly developed and specialised since its foundation. Gote particularly emphasised the hospital's holistic concept. She also underlined the work for women, such as the establishment of the first baby hatch (called baby cradle) in a hospital in Germany, in 2000, and the opening of the "Desert Flower Center Waldfriede", in 2013, as the first treatment centre for victims of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Detlef Albrecht, managing director of the Association of Protestant Hospitals in Berlin-Brandenburg (VEK), thanked Waldfriede for its good cooperation. After a difficult beginning, the hospital has continued to develop. Today, it can certainly compete with larger institutions. Waldfriede is also active in the area of diakonia, the service to people. This is shown, for example, by the care of refugees from Ukraine.
Bernd Quoß, board member of Waldfriede Hospital and managing director of all subsidiary enterprises, sees his task in leading the hospital to the highest level of medical and nursing care with the help of the staff. For this reason, he says, it is particularly important for them to be among the best hospitals in Berlin and Germany in terms of medical treatment quality and patient satisfaction. "We want to continue to prove this, for example, through robotic surgery, scientific studies, certification of our cancer centres as well as with international hospital cooperations." The Waldfriede health network has around 1,000 employees, he said. The facilities treat about 15,000 inpatients and 150,000 outpatients per year. The Waldfriede hospital has the largest outpatient surgery centre (AOZ) in Berlin.
Anniversary service
The ceremony was followed by an anniversary service. In his sermon, Johannes Naether (Hanover), president of the North German Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, referred to Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan in chapter 10 of Luke's Gospel. A Jewish teacher of the law asked Christ what he had to do to receive eternal life. The answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ... and your neighbour as yourself." Another question was, "Who then is my neighbour?" Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Everyone should ask themselves, Naether said, "How would I behave in such a situation? The question about the neighbour is not about theoretical discussions. Faith and action belong together. The refugee crisis of 2015/16 with the entry into Germany of more than one million migrants and people seeking protection, the flood disaster of 2021 with the many volunteers and the numerous private helpers for Ukrainian refugees show that there are still people who are willing to help.
Werner Dullinger (Ostfildern near Stuttgart), president of the South German Union of the Adventist Church, and Gunnar Scholz (Berlin), president of the Seventh-day Adventists in Berlin and Central Germany, both dealt with the motto of Waldfriede, "Our service to man is service to God", in their speeches. Since the hospital was founded in 1920, the world has changed fundamentally. Nevertheless, Waldfriede stands by its Christian values and is constantly developing them so that they can also be understood and experienced in the 21st century. Man, as a free creature of God, deserves all attention and competence, irrespective of his origin, his faith or his world view. He should be given an example of what Waldfriede is characterised by.
Mario Brito (Bern/Switzerland), president of the continental Adventist church leadership in Western and Southern Europe, wished for more institutions like Waldfriede in Europe. The hospitals are not only for Adventists but for serving all people. Dr. Peter Landless (Silver Spring, Maryland/USA), medical director for health services of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church leadership (General Conference), reported that there are about 900 hospitals and clinics of the Adventist Church worldwide with about 140,000 employees, in which 1.5 million people are treated as in-patients and 22 million as out-patients every year. He thanked Waldfriede for the hospital's good performance. Since he was also jointly responsible for this hospital, he could speak like former US President John F. Kennedy: "I am a Berliner".
Chronicle
After the service, each guest received the 336-page chronicle, 100 Years of Waldfriede Hospital. It was commissioned by the hospital and written by the author Corina Bomann. During the last hundred years, there have been many ups and downs. The hospital had to survive many things, such as the aftermath of the First World War, the Second World War, inflation, and two world economic crises in 1929 and 2008. After the Spanish flu of 1920, there is now the second worldwide pandemic in the hospital's history: coronavirus. Early on, the employees of Waldfriede would have begun to see themselves as a family. This cohesion, as well as the spirit of the founders, can still be felt in the hospital, says Bomann. Human warmth and competence are lived in all departments. The author dedicated the chronicle to all those people who are always there for the well-being of the people in Waldfriede Hospital: the doctors, the nursing staff, the administration, the kitchen and cleaning staff and, last but not least, the many volunteers who put themselves at the service of people in need.
Corina Bomann is currently writing her "Waldfriede Saga". Based on true events and inspired by ecclesiastical, political, and social chronicles, she tells of the birth and further development of the Waldfriede Hospital in Berlin. The first and second volumes of the novel series, The Sisters of Waldfriede, have already been published. Volume 1, Sternstunde, is about the establishment of the hospital, during which a young nurse faces the challenge of her life. In volume 2, Beacon, a courageous children's nurse fights for her little patients and her own happiness. The 3rd volume of the series, Sturmtage, is due to be published on December 28, 2022, and the 4th volume, Wunderzeit, on May 24, 2023. Corina Bomann lives in Berlin-Zehlendorf, in the immediate vicinity of the Waldfriede Hospital.
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