New home
for the Red Cross in Mittersill

(Mittersill – 12 December 2024) – The largest Red Cross office in Oberpinzgau has a new home. At the beginning of December, the keys to the new building were handed over by Errichtungs GmbH to the Oberpinzgau Regional Association as the economic owner at the Tauernklinikum Mittersill hospital. The association is now subletting the new building to the Mittersill Red Cross.

"As the largest employer in the Pinzgau region with more than 1,000 employees at our locations in Zell am See and Mittersill, securing our existing facilities and expanding and renovating them is particularly important to us," said Tauernkliniken Managing Director Mag. Silke Göltl, MA, at the handover of the new office to the Red Cross. "Our project
staff are doing a great job. We had to manage this large construction site while the hospital continued to operate, which was extremely challenging for all of us. That's why I'm particularly pleased that the Red Cross now has new, modern and user-oriented accommodation in our building."

"The construction of the new Red Cross base in Mittersill was a major concern for the communities in Oberpinzgau. I am very pleased that we have succeeded in integrating the building into the Mittersill Tauernklinikum complex. This has allowed us to make the best possible use of synergies in the construction and subsequent operation of the base for the region," reports Hannes Enzinger, chairman of the regional association.

"The former office, which dates back to 1965, is no longer fit for purpose, so we had to find a new location for the Red Cross in Mittersill," says Red Cross district manager Isabella Pernthaner-Schneider, MA, explaining the reasons for the new office. "Working together at one location has many advantages: the physical proximity and short distances support our operations and create synergies for all employees," Pernthaner-Schneider sums up.

"This new office also provides our volunteer colleagues with modern infrastructure and contemporary working conditions," adds department commander Jürgen Krizan. Garages for five emergency vehicles plus a wash

garage and storage rooms were created on the ground floor. The upper floor of the new hospital building houses offices for an emergency medical team and bedrooms for Red Cross employees. The modern premises are completed by a lounge for the emergency services with a covered terrace, accommodation for up to three community service workers, a separate room for the Youth Red Cross, sanitary facilities and a kitchen. The Mittersill Red Cross now has a total of approximately 550 square metres of floor space at its disposal, with construction and investment costs for the new premises amounting to around 2.47 million euros. Part of this was supported by a substantial EU grant.

The Mittersill Red Cross currently has a staff of 63 volunteer Red Cross workers, five full-time employees and four community service workers. The vehicle fleet includes an emergency doctor's vehicle, an ambulance and two patient transport vehicles. Almost every weekend and every public holiday, the rescue service is provided by volunteers, who contribute around 9,000 hours of voluntary work to the Mittersill Red Cross office every year.