Stiftelsen Betanien Bergen
Stiftelsen Betanien Bergen is a private and independent foundation established by the Norwegian Methodist Church in 1904. Stiftelsen Betanien was founded as a diaconal institution due to a wish of practicing the Christian faith in acts of compassion.
Stiftelsen Betanien Bergen owns and runs the institutions Hospitalet Betanien, Betanien Deaconal University College, Betanien Day-care Centre and Fundacion Betanien. With the exception of Fundacion Betanien, the institutions are situated in Bergen on the west coast of Norway. Fundacion Betanien is situated in Alfaz del Pi, close to Alicante on the north east coast of Spain.
Hospitalet Betanien
When Stiftelsen Betanien was first established in Bergen in 1904, the work mainly consisted of private nursing in homes, as well as in hospitals. Ten years later, on May 3rd 1914, Hospitalet Betanien was inaugurated.
Hospitalet Betanien has been an emergency local hospital with wards within the fields of surgery, medicine, gynaecology, plastic surgery, as well as having had a maternity and post-natal ward.
Today, Hospitalet Betanien runs a nursing home, a psychiatric centre for adults, a psychiatric centre for children and teenagers (up to 18 years old), a lab, a radiology department and a ward for minor surgery, gynaecology and gastroscopi. Hospitalet Betanien’s services run on demand from and are funded by the Norwegian NHS (National Health System).
Betanien Deaconal University College
In 1923 Betanien Deaconal University College was founded. The University College was originally established as a nursing school that would educate nurses for Hospitalet Betanien, but has over the years evolved to become a university college with an institute for bachelor degree in nursing, and an institute for further and higher nursing education.
As a deaconal institution, the activities are based on the Christian values. Thus, diacony and ethics, charity to the human being, alleviation of suffering, protecting and encouraging human life consisting body, soul and spirit, constitute the basics in the Betanien nursing profile.
Betanien Deaconal University College is a private academic institution, but receive funding from the Norwegian State, which enables students to get a free education on the bachelor degree level.
Betanien Day-care Centre
Betanien Day-care Centre was established in 1993 in order to offer the employees a day-care centre close to work. The day-care centre takes care of 50 children in the ages 1-6.
The children at Betanien Day-care Centre spend a lot of time outdoors. From the year the children turn 3 years old, they go on hikes in the nearby woods once a week with food and drink in their backpacks.
Most of the children at the day-care centre are children whose parent(s) work at one of the Betanien institutions, studying at Betanien Deaconal University College, or is a member of the First United Methodist Church. However, as every child within Bergen municipality can apply for Betanien Day-care Centre, there are also children from outside of the Betanien system who spend their days at the day-care centre.
Fundacion Betanien
Fundacion Betanien was inaugurated on September 21st 2001. Stiftelsen Betanien Bergen built Fundacion Betanien to enable those of its patients that would health wise have a rewarding effect of a stay in a warmer climate.
Fundacion Betanien is at the disposal for every nursing home patient within Bergen municipality for stays from a period of 3 months to indefinitely.