#lastenlinna

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The Castle Void of Children by Pekka Nikrus

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Täällä vois leikkii piilosta. We could play hide & seek in here. #lastenkanssa #lastenlinna #autismi #autism #hide&seek #piilosta #kidshospital

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The Children’s Castle

The Children’s Castle in Helsinki is an academic hospital for pediatric medicine and care. Activities started back in 1918, when the very first Children’s Castle in wood was founded by Sophie Mannerheim, as a home for single mothers and their children. In 1921 it was changed into a children’s hospital under the auspices of the newly founded Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL).

The Children’s Castle acted not only as a hospital, but also as a school for teaching child care. Already in 1921 the first nursing staff course for health workers, midwives and sisters of mercy was organized. The course focused on prevention, a new line of thought at the time.

Revenue for organizing the courses was obtained from a variety of sources. Municipalities, local chapters of MLL, and industry sent health care personnel to be trained and acquire greater competence in caring for children. Also nannies were trained in half-year courses. Also at the Children’s Castle, the first child welfare clinic was founded in 1922. In its radius of operation, child mortality dropped spectacularly. The facilities soon proved insufficient and expansion necessary — and then came the war. After the war, Finland was poor, hungry, deeply in debt to Russia and short of building materials; yet somehow civil society managed to get together the funds for a new Children’s Castle. Even Sibelius chipped in, with a benefit concert and a new piece.

Money also came from abroad, e.g., Sweden. The United States donated enough dollars to buy a shipload of coffee! The MLL used the funds to buy luxury consumer goods like sugar, coffee, chocolate and silk stockings, which were hugely in demand after the deprivation of the war, and sold these at premium prices at charity sales. Soon the new Castle could be built.

Architects designing the new Castle were Elsi Borg, Otto Flodin and Olavi Sortta and the sculptures on the façade were prepared by Sakari Tohka. The opening took place in October 1948. The building counted twelve floors, a residential wing decorated with reliefs, and a semicircular hospital wing of four floors. The hospital wing was oriented South and the architects strived both to avoid boring straight lines and to locate the children’s rooms to the South and the Sun.

There were 180 beds. During the first year, 1181 patients were treated, from neonatals to school kids. Besides medical treatment, great attention was given to spiritual development. Play was important and kindergarten teachers led the activities and hobbies.

The training of child care personnel continued, as did the child welfare advisory service and a mother’s milk distribution service. Also medical research took place, e.g., Arvo Ylppö's important work on the care and treatment of premature births: in a few short years, mortality in this group was halved.

Since 1997 the Children’s Castle is part of Helsinki Academic Hospital (HYKS). Current focus areas are pediatric neurology and psychiatry. Also operating are a social pediatrics practice and a youth practice. And the Children’s Castle’s school!

Source: Outi Jalonen

[ihmemutsi]

Here we are again, child-hospital day number 2. Toinen päivä lähti käyntiin. #lastenlinna #poikanimun #autism #ilovesomebodywhohaveautism