JenaWirtschaft hands over check to midwives

Companies donate 1,800 euros to Geburtshaus Jena e. V.

No flowers or gifts, rather a donation to the Geburtshaus Jena - this was the appeal sent out by the Jena Economic Development Agency with the invitation to its 10th anniversary celebrations at the end of January. Many companies and JenaWirtschaft itself donated to the association, which has to find and move into new premises in the near future due to the conversion of the Optical Museum. This Friday, JenaWirtschaft Managing Director Wilfried Röpke handed over a cheque for 1,800 euros to midwife Antje Roth on behalf of the association. The following companies made a financial contribution: Böttcher AG, Christoplan GmbH, diva-e Ageto GmbH, Globus GmbH & Co. KG, Optics Balzers Jena GmbH, GRINTECH GmbH, OptoNet e.V., iKTZ GmbH and the Jena Economic Development Corporation itself.

"We are delighted that our Jena companies are so committed to Jena as a business location and that we are able to pass on a total of 1,800 euros to the Jena Birth Center today," said JenaWirtschaft Managing Director Wilfried Röpke. The association that supports the birth center urgently needs new premises because the current headquarters of the association is located in the Optical Museum building, which is set to expand considerably over the next few years.

"Family friendliness is a very important location factor for Jena," continues Röpke. "Our experience shows that this topic plays a significant role in the decision of skilled workers for or against a new job - both the family-friendly offers of the company and the location itself."

According to Röpke, this includesa good infrastructure for children and families with affordable housing, a good daycare and school landscape, and interesting leisure and cultural activities. "And one building block in this portfolio is the birth center, as an option for out-of-hospital births, for medical pre- and postnatal care and for a wide range of courses for pregnant women and parents." According to midwife Antje Roth, the birth center association is still in great need.

"We are in talks with various options, but a final solution or even a suitable interim solution is not in sight," says Roth. Potentially suitable properties are currently failing due to the prescribed elevator width, among other things, or will not be ready for occupancy until 2020. "Our current status is that we will have to leave our current premises at the end of March."