Health campus to better dovetail medical expertise
The Sportklinik Hellersen and Märkische Gesundheitsholding are further developing their collaboration as part of a joint health campus. The aim is to sustainably strengthen medical care in the Märkischer Kreis district through structured, coordinated cooperation.
The health campus is expressly designed as a cooperation framework and does not represent a merger. Both facilities remain completely independent in terms of sponsorship, organization, management and medical profile. The cooperation focuses on clearly defined interfaces, coordinated care processes and the sensible supplementation of existing services.
The further development of the health campus will be in line with North Rhine-Westphalia's hospital planning. The service allocations and care mandates defined there form the binding basis for cooperation. On this basis, a successful cooperation that has existed for years is being further structured and deepened in a targeted manner - with clearly defined medical profiles and without creating competitive situations between the participating facilities.
A key milestone was reached with the establishment of a joint steering group on December 23, 2025. This committee will develop the content guidelines for the health campus and coordinate the further development of the cooperation.
The focus is on improving the interlinking of medical expertise where patients can benefit in concrete terms - for example through coordinated treatment processes, professional exchange and reliable cooperation structures. Existing care services will be maintained and further developed in terms of quality.
Dirk Burghaus, Chairman of the Management Board of Sportklinik Hellersen, explains:
"The health campus stands for the active shaping of medical care by independent hospitals. The Sportklinik Hellersen remains completely independent. The steering group is an instrument for us to further develop medical excellence, reliable processes and clear responsibilities together - with the aim of sustainably strengthening care in the Märkischer Kreis."
Neurosurgical care at the Lüdenscheid site is one example of the collaboration already in place. Neurosurgeons from the Medical Care Center at the Sportklinik Hellersen have been involved in the care provided by the Märkische Kliniken for a long time and are involved in operations there. This proven cooperation is to be deepened and further developed in clearly defined areas.
Dr. Thorsten Kehe, Chairman of the Management Board of Märkische Gesundheitsholding, emphasizes:
"A health campus offers the opportunity to strategically pool existing resources and jointly shape development prospects without giving up established structures. The steering group creates a reliable framework for this in order to sustainably combine economic stability, medical quality and regional responsibility."
Stefan Klett, President of the State Sports Association of North Rhine-Westphalia and also Chairman of the Presidium of the sponsor of Sportklinik Hellersen, adds:
"North Rhine-Westphalia is positioning itself as a sporting state and is bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This requires efficient, reliable medical structures - in elite sport as well as in the care of the population. The Hellersen Sports Clinic already plays an outstanding role in the German sports landscape and collaborations such as the Lüdenscheid Health Campus show how medical quality, regional responsibility and the objectives of NRW hospital planning can be brought together."
The initiative is also seen as an important impetus for the further development of the healthcare location at regional level. District Administrator Ralf Schwarzkopf puts it in perspective:
"Cooperative models such as the Lüdenscheid health campus strengthen medical care in the region without abandoning proven structures. This is an important step for the future of the Märkischer Kreis as a healthcare location."
Press contact
Sarah Burghaus
Head of Marketing, PR & Customer Service, Press Spokesperson
sarah.burghaus@hellersen.de
Marketing & PR
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