Think about a haven of healing born from compassion. This is the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus. Founded in 1875, it stands as a testament to dedication and care.
Olga von Lützerode, a woman of vision, established a nursingOrder and the “Krankenpflegerinnen-Anstalt zu Hannover”. She used her own funds. The first location was a rented double house on Eichstraße. Olga named it Clementinenhaus, derived from Clementia Dei meaning “Sanftmut Gottes”.
The DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus trained nurses. They served within the house and beyond. In 1876, the nursingOrder joined the Red Cross. The nursingOrder followed in 1882. Another building was rented on Blumenstraße in 1878. It provided around 15 beds.
Olga von Lützerode created a “milde Stiftung” in 1882. The nursingOrder continued the nursing training facility. The foundation aimed to train nurses. These nurses would also serve in their own facility.
In the early 1880s, land was acquired to build a dedicated hospital. Donations poured in from notable figures. Florence Nightingale, Wilhelm Busch, and Kaiser Wilhelm I contributed. Construction began in 1885. By 1887, the hospital was ready. It initially had 46 beds. Kaiserin Auguste inaugurated a retirement home for nurses in 1898. The city of Hanover gifted the land to the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus.
The nursing school expanded in 1900. It gained state recognition. Also in 1900, “Am Clementinenhaus” street was renamed “Lützerodestraße”. This honored Olga von Lützerode. It also marked the nursingOrder’s 25th anniversary.
During World War I, the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus became a military hospital. It had 100 beds. Sixty-seven nurses served on the Western and Eastern Fronts. They were in Constantinople and on hospital trains.
In 1933, the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus acquired land on Edenstraße. This allowed for an expansion. It housed doctors and nurses. By 1935, the Clementinenhaus was under the DRK Berlin. In 1937, its assets went to a central office. At that time, the hospital had 150 beds. Two hundred nurses served in the Wehrmacht’s medical service during World War II. The Clementinenhaus served partly as a military hospital.
Air raids in March 1945 nearly destroyed the hospital. Only a few beds remained operational. Provisional repairs began in autumn 1945. The hospital and nurses’ residence were rebuilt in 1948.
The “DRK-Clementinenhaus – Krankenpflegerinnenanstalt für das Land Niedersachsen” foundation started in 1951. A board of trustees governs the foundation. In the early 1960s, a bed wing expanded the hospital to 250 beds. It was renamed DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus in 1976. The DRK nursingOrder merged with the Cornelien nursingOrder Hameln in 1977.
Intensive care received modern rooms in an extension in the late 1980s. A left heart catheter measurement unit opened in the early 1990s. A computer tomograph became operational in 1997. Radiology was outsourced to a partner. The emergency room reorganized into a “Zentrale Patientenaufnahme” in 1999.
In 2003, the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus was the first German hospital. It received the “Commitment to Excellence” certificate. This was awarded for its medical and nursing services. The Klinik Dr. Boueke and Bertaklinik integrated into the Clementinenhaus a year later. Around 2005, the hospital received the KTQ certificate.
A major renovation began on July 3, 2006. The state of Lower Saxony funded it with 24.5 million euros. Construction occurred during ongoing hospital operations from 2007 to 2011. Around 2010, the renovated intensive care unit and new operating area opened. The renovation finished on January 1, 2012. The geriatrics department added a modern therapy wing two years later. A nursingOrder member served in Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic in 2014.
Today the DRK-Krankenhaus Clementinenhaus continues its legacy. It provides essential medical care. It embodies the values of compassion and service.