The following article was originally written and published in German by Michael Reindl, Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG Head of Public Relations and Patient Affairs. The article has been translated in English and modified by the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Bavaria Public Affairs Office.
WEIDEN, Germany -- The U.S. Army Health Clinic Grafenwoehr, part of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Bavaria, is responsible for the basic care of about 15,000 soldiers and their families. But not all medical illness and issues can be diagnosed and treated there. That is where the Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG of Klinikum Weiden is available to offer support. For Lt. Col. Avery J. Carney, new commander of the Grafenwoehr Health Clinic, this was an opportunity to visit Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG and to learn more on what they can offer to the military community.
Carney and several members of his clinic staff team visited the Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG, Aug. 2, 2019. He was welcomed by chief of physicians Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Dietl (Department of General Surgery) and Professor Dr. Christian Paetzel (Radiological Diagnostics, Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology). His clinic team received a general overview of the Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG and the Klinikum Weiden in particular.
"We offer our partners care at the highest medical level," said Michael Reindl, Kliniken Nordoberpfalz AG Head of Public Relations and Patient Affairs. Reindl was also one of the main points of contacts for the clinic team's tour visit.
After the presentation for the clinic team completed, Dietl and Carney ventured through the operating rooms at the Klinikum Weiden, focusing on state-of-the-art technology, such as the da Vinci surgical robot, and the hybrid OR (operating room), also referred to as the integrated OR.
"This is equipment that is sometimes higher than at university clinics," said the chief physician of the Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery.
The Grafenwoehr clinic team were also able to test an exercise program of the latest generation of the da Vinci Xi, a surgical system approved for use in colorectal surgery, and what it has to offer.
Afterwards, Paetzel presented radiological possibilities offered by the Klinikum Weiden.
With regard to the 3.5 Tesla MRI, joints, head and spine could be displayed in excellent diagnostic quality and highly specialized examinations could be carried out - a unique feature in northeastern Bavaria, said Paetzel.
The Grafenwoehr clinic team also got a glimpse behind the scenes at the MVZ Orthopedics / Traumatology, where medical director Dr. Thomas Neubauer-Gartzke presented the treatment options. With medical specialists for hand, foot and spine surgery, the MVZ Orthopedics / Trauma Surgery forms the central point of contact in the field of orthopedics and trauma surgery and also includes many Americans among its patients.
Klinikum Weiden concluded the tour with a visit to the maternity ward and several delivery rooms. The head of the Perinatal Center, Dr. Ines Erhardt, spent some time answering questions that Carney had.
Every year, around 300 newborns of U.S. soldiers and families are born in Weiden.
Carney thanked the medical staff for accommodating the tour, their hospitality, and for their in-depth insights and ideas.
"Weiden Hospital is one of our most important partners in the supplying our soldiers and their families," said Carney. "I look forward to continuing and expanding this collaboration."
Social Sharing