• The collaboration between the two entities aims to promote the rehabilitation of pediatric and adolescent patients at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital.
• The space will have the capacity to care for 750 children and adolescents per year, 37% more than the 540 patients it can currently accommodate.

“la Caixa” Foundation and The Ricky Rubio Foundation have signed a collaboration agreement thanks to which the first phase of construction of a new Therapeutic Area for Child and Adolescent Rehabilitation at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona will be carried out.

The agreement was formalized by Esteve Rubio, president of The Ricky Rubio Foundation, and the deputy general director of “la Caixa” Foundation, Marc Simón, in a ceremony that was also attended by Antoni Vila, general director of “la Caixa” Foundation, and Albert Salazar, manager of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital.

The space will make it possible to offer a more specific treatment focused exclusively on pediatric and adolescent patients, an advance that will mean greater comfort and well-being for them. For this reason, “la Caixa” Foundation will make a contribution of 200,000 euros.

Currently, the Vall d’Hebron Children’s Hospital does not have its own rehabilitation gym for pediatric and adolescent patients, so the space will facilitate the concentration of activity and resources in a place suitable for each type of patient, as well as the possibility of providing them with greater and better monitoring. This new therapeutic area will be intended for inpatients and outpatients. By sharing rehabilitation space, it will also encourage greater social interaction between children and adolescents. In the same way, displacements will be avoided and new rehabilitation programs can be initiated.

Esteve Rubio, president of The Ricky Rubio Foundation, considers this project to be the most important and the largest project ever promoted by the foundation. Accompanied by his son, Ricky Rubio, an athlete who is truly committed and enthusiastic about making the project a reality, Esteve Rubio stated: “It is a necessary space, essential for children who must recover from any type of treatment. I believe that, in the fight we are all fighting against the most serious situations in child and adolescent medicine, the implementation of this gym, with the latest advances and technologies, fits perfectly with the type of actions we like to develop, even more so when the values of effort, sport and teamwork are added to a therapeutic purpose”.

For his part, Marc Simón, deputy general manager of “la Caixa” Foundation, said: “We want to be part of this great project, which aims to contribute to improving the quality of life of pediatric and adolescent patients and, ultimately, to humanize the hospital environment, one of our priority objectives at “la Caixa” Foundation”.

Albert Salazar, manager of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, thanked “la Caixa” Foundation and The Ricky Rubio Foundation for their involvement in making this new Therapeutic Area for Child and Adolescent Rehabilitation a reality, which will greatly improve the care of pediatric and adolescent patients and facilitate their recovery”. And he added: “At the Children’s Hospital we treat all medical specialties, from basic care to tertiary specialties: we are the hospital for children and adolescents with the greatest capacity to resolve complex processes in Spain”.

The objective is to continue adding collaborations until the second phase of the project, that of equipping this new space, can also be completed.

Increased capacity

One of the main features of the new space is that it will increase the number of patients receiving this type of rehabilitation. Specifically, 750 children and adolescents will be able to benefit from its facilities each year, 37% more than the current capacity (540 patients). Rehabilitation doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and TCAI (auxiliary nursing care technicians) will work there.

Attractive, humane, innovative and close to the world of children

The space, adapted to the needs and characteristics of the children and adolescents, will be equipped with elliptical bicycles, backbends, weights, hydraulic stretchers, infrared and mattresses, among other elements. In addition, the gym’s design is attractive, human, innovative and close to the world of children and adolescents. It is an interactive space where the patient’s role will be key to progress in their recovery.

The graphic materials will also take on a special role, as they will include videos and mini-capsules of references in the sector (athletes, well-known personalities…) that will offer advice and recommendations to reinforce the importance of exercising and leading a healthy life.