“Janské Lázně Rehabilitation Clinic has a longstanding reputation as one of the best spa and rehabilitation facilities in the Czech Republic”
Janské Lázně Rehabilitation Clinic is renowned as one of the premier spa and rehabilitation facilities in the Czech Republic. “Hospitals” Magazine recently had the honor of speaking with Martin Vozenilek, the Manager of Janské Lázně. His leadership and vision have been pivotal in shaping the Center’s comprehensive approach to care. This interview serves to underscore the Center’s unwavering commitment to providing top-notch care and treatment to patients. It delves into the challenges that arise when operating a large-scale rehabilitation facility and places emphasis on the critical role that health professionals, specifically rehabilitation therapists and physicians, play in the overall functioning of the Center.
Background and Role
Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to become the Manager of this Rehabilitation Centre?
I joined the rehabilitation clinic 15 years ago as a Sales Manager. At that time, the business was profiled only as a spa, and over time we extended our portfolio of care and related services including specialized rehabilitation beds as well as other wellness services. After five years in this position, I was given the opportunity to take on a Senior Sales Manager position and build a new sales team that will work more on developing additional services and also promote rehabilitation care, both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including Arab countries. In 2017, I was approached by the Ministry of Health to participate in the selection procedure for the position of a Manager. I was lucky enough to win this post. Since then, we have been working with a new team on developing rehabilitation care and spa care in Janské Lázně.
What inspired you to pursue a career in rehabilitation services?
I must admit that I was brought to this industry by chance, but when I started working in this segment, I started to enjoy the work more and more. The spa and rehabilitation industry is very diverse and complex. It combines medical services as well as the hotel and wellness industry. Because of this, you also get to know many people from these segments and that always pushes you further. It’s an industry that is constantly evolving and because of this you have to keep up to date with new trends, legislation and have constant contact with the people you work with and also with clients. It’s not an easy job and you don’t always succeed to implement everything as you wish, but that’s part of it, of course.
Centre Overview
Can you describe the range of services that your Center provides?
Janské Lázně Rehabilitation Clinic has a longstanding reputation as one of the best spa and rehabilitation facilities in the Czech Republic. It is also an ideal starting point for sports and recreational activities in the Krkonoše Mountains. The natural healing resources are the thermal mineral water of the hydro- carbonate-lime-sodium type, springing up in the spa area, and the local foothill climate.
The Rehabilitation Clinic focuses on physiotherapy and the treatment of the diseases of the musculoskeletal system resulting from diseases of the brain, disc, spine or post-accident effects (hemiplegia in the lower body or on one side of the body or complete paralysis), diseases of the muscular and nervous system, including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, various sclerosis and effects of strokes. In addition to this, the effects of malignant tumours on the body are also treated as are problems with joints, rheumatism, joint stiffness, muscle weakness, gait impairment and balance.
Respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergies and cases after respiratory surgery are also treated in our Clinic.
Programs for weight reduction are tailored to suit the clients’ specific needs.
Children’s Sanatorium is one of the largest and most modern facilities of its kind in the Czech Republic. It continues a long tradition of treating cerebral palsy, especially in children. It specializes in the treatment of children from 6 months and adolescents up to 18 years of age with nervous disorders including muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, as well as in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and conditions after injuries and orthopaedic surgeries. Among other things, we also treat metabolic disorders and endocrine problems, including the treatment of obesity, as well as respiratory diseases.
What makes your Rehabilitation Centre stand out in terms of patient care and treatment approaches?
Current trends in rehabilitation are based on the use of modern technologies and approaches such as robotics, instrumented rehabilitation, VR or telemedicine. Our clinic also keeps up with these technologies and continuously incorporates them into the rehabilitation procedures. Unfortunately, with the introduction of these trends, the most important thing that rehabilitation has is slowly disappearing and that is a human and individual approach to the client. That is why the cornerstone of our rehabilitation services is still individual physiotherapy based on proven methods such as the Vojta method, Bobath concept, PNF, etc.
Patient Care and Treatment
How do you ensure personalized care for each patient in your Center?
Individual care can only be provided if you have enough qualified staff. In these difficult times, when there is quite a shortage of healthcare professionals in the Czech Republic, we are lucky to have a stable team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and massage therapists, and thanks to this we can provide an individual approach to both paediatric and adult patients.
Could you discuss any innovative treatment methods or technologies that your Center has adopted recently?
As I have already mentioned, we are equipped with robotic devices for rehabilitation of upper and lower limbs, for verticalization and training of walking in relief (anti-gravity walkway). In the framework of occupational therapy, we also use virtual reality for upper limb motor training. One of the most recent innovations is the use of electroacupuncture in patients with neurological diseases and we are seeing great progress especially in patients with spinal cord injuries.
ELECTROACUPUNCTURE combines traditional acupuncture, an official medical method in the Czech Republic, with the current knowledge of physical treatment. The physician inserts acupuncture needles and then uses the device to deliver an electric current to the needles. In Janské Lázně, patients with complete severing of the spinal cord have been able to regain movement, and a unique treatment of paralysis using electroacupuncture has been helping patients for several years.
The author of the ACTIVE ENF treatment method is Peter Olšák, a rehabilitation physician who has treated more than 700 patients, including some with complete spinal cord severance. The method was created by combining medical acupuncture and knowledge of physical medicine. Dr. Olšák led a team of scientists from Palacký University in Olomouc who won the Transfera Technology Day 2023 competition with innovative needles for electroacupuncture applications.
How do you measure success in patient outcomes at your facility?
The success and favourable reputation is due to the feedback from clients who come to our rehabilitation facility repeatedly. We also cooperate with other facilities such as hospitals, outpatient clinics that refer patients to us for treatment because of numerous stories of successful treatment. Our medical team maintains medical records which include pre- and post-treatment examinations.
Quality and safe care is certified by a quality certificate. Since June 2020, the Janské Lázně Rehabilitation Clinic has been a holder of a Certificate of the United Accreditation Commission (a certified company that is an authorized assessor of the quality and safety of inpatient healthcare according to the current legislation of the Czech Republic). The Certificate of the United Accreditation Commission guarantees the fulfilment of strict requirements for the quality and safety of the care provided to patients, in accordance with the current legislation of the Czech Republic. The essence of accreditation is to ensure that the established procedures are consistently followed so that the patient is treated by qualified personnel in a safe environment.
Challenges and Adaptations
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in managing a large rehab centre?
Probably the biggest challenge and issue is to maintain a stable team of qualified employees in all professions. Our business is, of course, built on people, there are over 400 employees working in the company, so it is a large team of people who have to work together and if any part of the staff drops out there might be a problem with providing quality services. So, it’s a never-ending process and in times of a low unemployment rate, it can be very difficult. The second issue, despite the fact that our facility is state-owned, is a lack of funding for development investment. We are therefore trying to use all the resources that are available, including European grants and subsidies, to implement our plans.
Patient and Community Engagement
Could you describe a particularly memorable patient success story?
Generally speaking, there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of emotional stories each year, especially at the Children’s Sanatorium, and we are happy for every patient we help to overcome their illness and thus return to a normal life.
We are currently experiencing great stories, thanks to electroacupuncture treatment. No one knows what they will encounter in life’s journey. The stories of people whose active life has ended from one day to another because they have suffered a fatal injury involving a completely severed spinal cord and subsequent paralysis look hopeless at first glance.
But now hope has appeared for them. There exists a treatment method that a rehabilitation physician from our facility has introduced, a revolutionary method combining traditional acupuncture with the latest advances in physical medicine. We are now following, for example, the story of a patient who, ten years ago, after hitting a ski lift pillar, was paralyzed from the waist down and whose life turned upside down in a second. The patient is a mother of two children, she enjoys sports (hand-biking and mono-skiing, swimming) and trips to the countryside. Since mid-March 2024, she has been a patient of our medical facility and has been receiving electroacupuncture treatment and her body is starting to come back to life. As the patient herself says: “The first changes were already visible at the first application. It was just hard to believe that it was really happening. There was a phase of denial and rationalizing that it just wasn’t possible. My head just couldn’t take it in.”
After the second and third application, things were happening that I could no longer deny, and I began to believe that it really worked for me. I started to notice that my abdominal muscles were getting involved, from my navel down and that hadn’t been working before. I couldn’t, for example, sit on the bed without back support and put both hands up and put on a T-shirt.
And suddenly it worked! When driving a car, I had to fasten my body to prevent from moving from one side to another in an uncontrolled way, or it happened that my arms moved forward onto the dashboard when braking hard. And suddenly I realized I was sitting steady and balancing my body with my abdominal muscles. After the third application, I thought I’d try to get on all fours and I did. On the fourth application, the doctor helped me, as I like saying, prick the points that were supposed to help me crawl, and I succeeded. It’s very challenging, but I’m very happy with any progress. I feel like my body is slowly waking up with each successive application.”
We ourselves cannot wait to see how far our patients will go in their improvement.
How does your Center engage with the community to promote wellness and prevention?
Our rehabilitation facility is actively involved in promoting wellness and prevention through a number of initiatives and programs. We offer a wide range of therapies aimed at rehabilitation and prevention of health problems, including hydrotherapy and physical therapy. In addition to rehabilitation treatments and traditional spa services, we also focus on promoting healthy lifestyles through wellness weekends, which include activities such as time spent in the spa centre (aqua centre, saunas, massages) or, for example, yoga and the environment in which the rehabilitation clinic is located.
We use our natural resources such as clean mountain air and thermal springs to offer relaxing and healing stays for our clients. It is also important to mention the social/cultural component that is part of the therapy and these are the activities we organise for clients, such as concerts, lectures, markets or outdoor activities that promote physical health and mental well-being.
In the area where the rehabilitation clinic is located, there are a number of trails for hiking, Nordic walking, which are ideal for improving fitness and relieving stress. In the winter months, Janské Lázně attracts winter sports enthusiasts who can take advantage of the extensive cross-country skiing trails and ski slopes.
In general, the location of the rehabilitation clinic contributes to the overall improvement of the quality of life and brings clients back to life, which is also our slogan.
Future Directions
What are some upcoming initiatives or projects at your Center that you’re particularly excited about?
As our rehabilitation clinic is one of the oldest facilities of this type in the Czech Republic, its buildings, unfortunately, like most healthcare facilities, no longer meet energy-efficiency standards and requirements. We have therefore prepared a major project for the reconstruction of the Vesna Children’s Sanatorium and I look forward to seeing this project turn into reality.
This will significantly increase the comfort for our paediatric patients and will also reduce energy costs in the years to come. This is one of the highest priorities not only in our facility, but in all European countries likewise.
Another project I am very much looking forward to is the search for new thermal water. We will be drilling a deep borehole that could in the future supply the clinic with hot mineral water and thus enable the further development of the spa industry in our town. In the coming year, we will be also building new facilities to provide instrumental rehabilitation to keep up with current trends in robotics.
