From now on, the innovative rehabilitation centre for the military RECOVERY will operate in Poltava. This is the 12th centre of the all-Ukrainian network founded by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It will provide free and evidence-based rehabilitation services to 2,000 servicemen and women annually.
The new RECOVERY rehabilitation centre is built on three floors of one of the key medical institutions in Poltava region. The entire space is equipped according to international standards of inclusiveness and technology. The treatment and rehabilitation area has 2 physical rehabilitation rooms with virtual reality (VR) devices that provide feedback to the patient. There are also rooms for occupational therapy, psychologist, assistive technology, massage, magnetic and physiotherapy, laser therapy, physiotherapist, resident’s room, inclusive sanitary rooms and office space.
The RECOVERY Centre’s innovative rehabilitation equipment and devices cover the full range of functional disorders, including those caused by mine injuries. They help restore, in particular, gait and the lost functions of the upper and lower limbs at a high technological level.
“Everyone wants to participate in this war in one way or another. Not everyone can be at the frontline, but everyone wants to be involved in the fight. For me and my wife Olena, the development of the RECOVERY network is one of the top priorities of our involvement,” said Victor Pinchuk, founder of the RECOVERY project, “Initially, the idea was to build only two floors of the centre in Poltava, but after getting to know the team better and studying the needs of the region, we decided to do the maximum. Our goal is to open rehabilitation units closer to home, to the families of the wounded, because the family is one of the most important components of recovery.”
The ward can accommodate 51 patients at a time. All rooms are equipped with functional furniture, electric beds, and inclusive sanitary areas. The space of the Poltava RECOVERY centre is barrier-free for patients: wide doorways, no thresholds, anti-slip flooring, handrails in the corridors, inclusive toilets with space sufficient for wheelchair users.
The RECOVERY project is an example of a successful partnership between the private sector and the state, when philanthropists create innovative rehabilitation centres on the basis of state medical institutions. Today, the Poltava centre is the only one in the network to be set up on three floors.
The multidisciplinary teams of the Poltava RECOVERY centre include specialists in physical rehabilitation medicine, physical therapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, assistants, speech and language therapists and psychologists. An individual rehabilitation plan is developed for each wounded soldier here, and thanks to innovative equipment, patients receive high-quality, evidence-based rehabilitation care at the highest level.
“Our patients are soldiers who sustained injuries to their limbs, brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system, etc. during the fighting. However, the wounded will recover here not only from Poltava region, but also from all over Ukraine. These are real heroes and I am proud that now, thanks to innovative equipment and modern facilities, we will be able to provide them with the highest level of care,” said Svitlana Grytsenko, head of the RECOVERY rehabilitation centre in Poltava.
In addition to Poltava, innovative RECOVERY centres provide free services in Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa (two centres) and Dnipro region (three centres). In total, more than 8,500 defenders of Ukraine have already received rehabilitation assistance in 12 centres of the national network. Most of them have already returned to combat missions.
The founders of the RECOVERY project, Victor and Olena Pinchuk, plan to expand the network to at least 18 innovative rehabilitation centres, where about 25,000 servicemen and women can recover annually.