A Barrier-Free Comprehensive Rehabilitation Ward Opened in Kozelshchyna

To 380 adults and children will be able to receive rehabilitation assistance annually in the new department of Kozelshchynska Central Hospital in Poltava region. The space was created for comprehensive recovery of civilians and military personnel after injuries, surgeries, strokes, and other conditions that require rehabilitation. The department was officially opened 3 in September. The project was implemented by the Nadietvorci Foundation with support from Sushko Philanthropy in partnership with the Kozelshchynska territorial community. The initiator and patron is Kozelshchyna-born entrepreneur Mykola Sushko. Currently the department already provides outpatient rehabilitation services for adults and children. The next stage should be the launch of inpatient care. Under favorable conditions, about 230 patients can be treated annually on an outpatient basis and another 150 — inpatient. The department is designed for the comprehensive rehabilitation of people after injuries, surgical interventions, strokes, diseases of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. One of the project’s principles is to make such help accessible not only in large cities but also directly in the community, closer to patients’ places of residence. For this, the hospital created rooms for physical therapy and occupational therapy, two‑person rooms, offices for a psychologist, a speech-language therapist, assistive technologies, and other specialized spaces. Separately, an adapted occupational therapy kitchen was equipped where patients can regain skills necessary in daily life. The department was also equipped with specialized medical and rehabilitation equipment. Among them is a ceiling system for safe patient movement, equipment for restoring upper and lower limb functions, robotic hand exoskeletons for hand rehabilitation, a smart mirror, and other equipment for physical and occupational therapy. The space was designed considering the needs of people with various functional impairments. There are ramps and handrails, tactile navigation, external mnemonic map, Braille signage, adapted restrooms and showers. In the wards, a system for calling medical staff was provided. The space was designed with the needs of people with different functional limitations in mind. The total reconstruction cost was almost 45 million UAH, and the works lasted eight months. During this time, engineering networks, roofing, windows and doors were replaced, the façade and interior spaces updated. The department was fully furnished with furniture and equipment, and the surrounding territory improved. The new department sits in a building with a history spanning over a century. A separate reconstruction task was to preserve the building’s historic elements, which at one time was part of Kozelshchyna’s monastery complex. During the works, authentic brickwork and masonry were restored, a fragment of wooden lattice “dranka” was preserved, pilasters, concrete lion sculptures, arched vaults, and historic basement windows were preserved. The building also retained a metal beam 1904 from a certain year. The old smoke stack was not demolished; after reconstruction it was transformed into an art object. Its concept symbolizes gradual movement from darkness to light and draws a parallel with the rehabilitation process, where recovery happens step by step. For Mykola Sushko, the project in Kozelshchyna also has personal significance: the future entrepreneur was born in Kozelshchyna and in recent years has supported a number of community projects. “For me, it is fundamentally important that this project is realized here, in Kozelshchyna. I was born on this land and I know well how important it is for a small community to have access to quality medicine close to home. We deliberately did not take the path of ‘for a small community this is enough.’ On the contrary, we wanted to create a department that meets the best modern rehabilitation practices,” noted Mykola Sushko. According to him, the quality of medical care should not depend on whether a person lives in a big city or a small community. “Rehabilitation is the possibility to return to independent life, to family, work, and one’s plans. And for me personally, this project is also a form of gratitude to the place where it all began,” added Sushko. Nadietvorci Foundation director Iryna Temersko emphasized that after the reconstruction, the key role will be played by the team of specialists who will work with patients daily. “We can build walls, purchase the best equipment, plan every meter of space, but the real rehabilitation department is made by people who will work here every day with patients. Therefore, our B point is only the beginning for the department’s team and for hundreds of future recovery stories,” Temersko stated. After the opening, participants toured the rehabilitation halls, wards, occupational therapy kitchen, equipment, and also met the team of specialists who will work with patients. Previously, Fakty reported on the opening after major repairs of the Municipal Emergency Hospital building in a front-line city.