Emergency Treatment Approach for Rheinberg Patients
Title: Breaking News: Your Essential Guide to "Theday in GL"
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From three hospitals housing three general emergency departments to two in Bergisch Gladbach - the Evangelical Hospital and the Vinzenz Pallotti Hospital - the Marien-Krankenhaus now specializes in neurological emergencies. This restructuring has also affected emergency services.
The announcement by the Leverkusen Clinic that it will take charge of emergency care for Schildgen and Odenthal in the future, as it can no longer be provided in Bergisch Gladbach, has stirred questions and apprehension. Let's clear the air and examine the changes for the patients.
In our own words...
What's Changed?
The Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis holds the reins for emergency services and has redrawn the so-called emergency care areas. These guidelines help manage patient care when hospitals are overwhelmed. The Klinikum Leverkusen is now part of these emergency care plans as it has been declared under district administration terms. For every community or district in the region, it will be determined which hospital a rescue vehicle will head to, provided no specialized care (such as in a stroke case) is needed. Even if the specific emergency department is overburdened, there remains the obligation to provide care, the district administration stated.
Previously, the Marien-Krankenhaus in Bergisch Gladbach was scheduled to tackle Odenthal and Schildgen's emergency care, but now it's Klinikum Leverkusen that's on the list.
The reason behind this shift stems from the reorganization of the GFO clinics Rhein-Berg's emergency care:
Since March 15, there has no longer been a general emergency department at the MKH. The "Central Emergency Department" has morphed into a neurological emergency outpatient clinic that only handles neurological emergencies like strokes.
Meanwhile, the Central Emergency Department at the Evangelical Hospital (EVK) continues to operate, receiving "specific expansion in personnel and infrastructure" in the last couple of months to address the surging patient numbers, as the hospital indicated.
How Has It Affected Patients?
According to the district administration, the new allocation of emergency care areas holds no significance for the patients. It essentially marks an internal structural change that only impacts the emergency services, with no universal application. This change ensures that a patient has a claim on a specific clinic only in the event of an overloading of the system, and only when no specialized treatment is required.
More Insights
Emergency services attend to patients based on the "nearest suitable" hospital, according to the district administration. This means that the nearest hospital isn't always driven to. Instead, rescue workers or emergency physicians choose the ideal location for treatment.
For example, a patient from Rösrath suffering a heart attack would not be taken to the nearest Vinzenz Pallotti Hospital in Bensberg, but to the Evangelical Hospital in Bergisch Gladbach or the Krankenhaus Koln-Merheim due to their specialization.
Emergency Care in Bergisch Gladbach – Where to Go in Crisis?
Previously, both at the EVK and the MKH, a Central Emergency Department operated. Currently, the EVK's Central Emergency Department continues to function with recent reinforcements in personnel and infrastructure to meet the growing patient numbers.
At the MKH's former Central Emergency Clinic, a neurological emergency department dealing with suspected stroke cases has come into being. The VPH in Bensberg keeps its Central Emergency Clinic for all non-specialized emergency cases. The changes at the two GFO locations have been reported in detail before.
Emergency Practice
The Emergency Practice of the Kassenärztlichen Vereinigung (KV) continues to function at the MKH. This clinic offers acute but non-critical health care outside regular medical office hours such as evenings, weekends, or holidays. As a common feature in many urban centers, emergency practices are stationed next to or within hospitals able to treat or admit patients as necessary. According to EVK, discussions with KV Nordrhein regarding a transfer to EVK are close to conclusion.
Additional Reading
Hospital planning in Bergisch Gladbach is part of the statewide reform planned in North Rhine-Westphalia, which has been regulated since April 2025. Although, Florange from GFO laments that, "the current phase of the reform is causing more uncertainty than clarity for patients and families."
Regardless, Florange emphasizes that the collaboration amongst hospitals MKH, VPH, and EVK ensures "comprehensive coverage, including emergencies."
Science plays a crucial role in understanding the restructuring of emergency services in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis. The changes, influenced by medical-conditions and health-and-wellness considerations, have resulted in a revised emergency care plan that includes the Klinikum Leverkusen.
In light of these modifications, the Evangelical Hospital in Bergisch Gladbach has seen significant expansion in personnel and infrastructure to manage the surge in patient numbers, particularly in non-specialized cases. This transformation is part of the GFO clinics Rhein-Berg's emergency care reorganization, following the closure of the general emergency department at the MKH and its transformation into a neurological emergency outpatient clinic.
