MAHLE Foundation–support to the revitalization of the Hospital Santa Casa of Misericórdia from Itajubá

Maternity

Social responsibility has been an ever-growing theme for companies and their workers. MAHLE’s Social Responsibility Program has been quite relevant for the communities situated near the company’s units. The actions are made possible by the employees’ active participation and involvement. In this context, the unit located in the city of Itajubá has supported the maintenance of the hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia, which is an entity of fundamental importance to the region.

With the approval of a larger project by the MAHLE Foundation in Germany, a partnership was formally formed in September 2007 for the recovery of the institution. A managing committee was constituted for the coordination of the projects, composed by MAHLE’s employees, members of the hospital and consultants (specialized in Hospital Management and Architecture, hired to aid in the strategic planning of the hospital complex). A Specialists Group was also formed – with representatives from MAHLE and Santa Casa – with the aim of elaborating the master management plan and following up on the actions.

Besides rebuilding six floors of the hospital, the restructure project presented in April 2008 is broad and also aims at the reorganization of the administrative and finance areas. It has reached goals such as the management restructure; the implantation of a strategic management system with goals defined in search of the financial equilibrium, the recovery of the institution’s identity and image, with the extension of the services provided.

The first phase of the project – the construction of a new maternity unit on the 4th floor, including the substitution of the equipments and furniture – was concluded in November 2009.

The new maternity unit has 7 bedrooms with two beds each and a quarantine room, two labor rooms (normal and surgical), a nursery with capacity for 7 children and other areas of support to the activities related to the maternity unit. Besides the new, rebuilt rooms, the maternity unit is equipped with a pre and post labor room and an obstetric Center, amongst other improvements.

A few important actions have been implemented, such as: hiring the consulting company for the strategic planning; analysis of the leadership team and readjustment of the human resources; implementation of the “Master Plan” as a management tool; a competence development program, still in its implementation phase; the implementation of a new oxygen Center, with the investments from a supplier in partnership with MAHLE; adaptation of the information system, with the replacement of the computers and personnel training for the implementation of the SP Data hospital management system; and readjustment of the IT area, hardware e software.

There are some current projects that result from strategic partnerships with colleges, University Centers and Teaching Hospital, such as the laundry unification to meet the demands of the community.

In short, the revitalization and sustainability Project for Santa Casa comprises the rebuilding of six floors in the main building, in the following order:

• Ground floor: emergency room;
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor: child hospitalization/intensive care, adult male and female hospitalization;
• 4th floor: maternity unit;
• 5th floor: operating room and adult intensive care
• 6th floor: snack bar, living room and solarium.

The next stage will be the rebuilding of the 5th floor for the installation of the adult intensive care and operating room, with opening predicted to September 2011.

The first quarter of 2010 has already accounted for important achievements, with the approval of the facilities for the medical hospital service, as well as the favorable report for the transformation of the intensive care unit to level 2.