In the renovated intensive care unit of the WKZ parents will soon be able to be with their sick child day and night
In their pediatric and neonatal ICU wards, the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital is making the switch from ward nursing to single rooms, with the option for parents to be with their sick child 24/7. This offers both the children and their parents more peace, space and privacy.
The parent-child rooms are part of a major renovation at the WKZ. Construction has begun and the wards will open in phases in 2026 and 2027. In total, the new rooms will allow about 3,500 families a year to be together day and night. The demand for parent-child rooms in the WKZ came not only from parents, but also from the medical staff, says Jorien Huisman. She is director of the Friends UMC Utrecht & Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital Foundation. Research shows that treatment in a private room with fewer stimuli contributes to faster recovery of the child or baby, she explains. Furthermore, this type of room is good for better bonding between parent and baby, for example because skin-to-skin contact is easier.
Huisman describes what the rooms should look like. On one side of the room will be all the medical equipment needed to treat the child. On the other side will be the parents’ area. That will include a bed and a closet. Through a fundraiser, the WKZ hopes to eventually pay for all the furniture in the rooms.
For more information or a donation go to: https://vriendenumcutrecht-wkz.nl/ouder-kindkamers/
Senior civil servants from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) visit Utrecht Science Park to exchange knowledge on improving prevention, healthcare and economic earning capacity.
How can we ensure that innovations reach patients more effectively and quickly, while also contributing to the Netherlands’ future earning capacity? This question was at the heart of a visit by senior civil servants from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to Utrecht Science Park on Friday, 31 October.
2.5-hectare new nature reserve at Utrecht Science Park opened
In an area where education, healthcare, housing and research compete for space, 2.5 hectares – equivalent to seven football pitches – of new nature has been created. A 1.6-kilometre-long ‘green corridor’ connects Utrecht Science Park with the surrounding nature reserves, enhances biodiversity and makes the area more attractive to plants and animals.
Free Bicycle Light Repairs Mark Launch of National Cycling Visibility Campaign in Utrecht
The national bicycle lighting campaign ‘AAN in het donker’ (Lights On in the Dark) will be launched on 29 October on Leuvenlaan at Utrecht Science Park. Between 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., cyclists can have their lights checked and repaired free of charge. André van Schie, Member of the Provincial Executive, will be there to talk to Utrecht residents about the importance of proper bicycle lighting.
His Majesty the King visits large-scale exercise at the Major Incident Hospital at Utrecht Science Park: prepared together for major emergencies
On Saturday, October 31, a large-scale exercise took place at the Major Incident Hospital at the Utrecht Science Park. During the exercise, dubbed “Dubbelspoor” (Dual Track), the Major Incident Hospital had to respond to two major incidents almost simultaneously. In Amersfoort, a train carrying thirty injured Dutch military personnel arrived. At nearly the same time, a coach plowed into a crowd during a Halloween celebration. His Majesty the King also visited both locations, marking the 35th anniversary of the Major Incident Hospital.