What Schwester-Euthymia-Stiftung does

Schwester-Euthymia-Stiftung is a Catholic charitable foundation headquartered in Vechta, Lower Saxony, Germany, that operates four hospitals and supporting service entities serving the regional populations of Cloppenburg and Vechta counties. The hospital portfolio comprises St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg, Krankenhaus St. Elisabeth Damme, St. Franziskus-Hospital Lohne, and St. Marienhospital Vechta, collectively operating approximately 1,000 beds with a workforce of roughly 3,300 employees. In addition to inpatient and outpatient acute care, the foundation runs an in-house Bildungszentrum (education center) for healthcare training and a Logistikzentrum (logistics center) supporting hospital operations.

The foundation generates revenue primarily through German statutory health insurance reimbursement under the DRG system, supplemented by private health insurance and outpatient services, with disclosed annual revenue of approximately €330 million. The catchment area shows a 75% self-sufficiency rate (Eigenversorgungsquote) in Vechta and a 42% influx quota (Zuwanderungsquote), indicating that the foundation captures the dominant share of inpatient demand from its local population while also drawing patients from neighboring regions. Recent strategic activity includes the 2024 organizational merger of the Vechta and Lohne hospitals, pursuit of €132 million in federal funding for the first phase of a planned €289 million Zentralklinikum (450 beds, completion 2035), and active adaptation of the service portfolio to comply with the German hospital reform (KHVVG).

The foundation holds multiple specialty accreditations including EPZmax certification and a triple-certified vascular center, supported by recent department chief appointments in gastroenterology, orthopedics, vascular surgery, and pediatrics. Leadership comprises CEO Ulrich Pelster and Foundation Council Chairman Bernd Winter. Academic and municipal partnerships, notably with Karls-Universität Prag and Lower Saxony state ministries, support workforce pipelines, capital funding, and regulatory positioning. The foundation's underlying technology footprint is conventional for a regional German hospital operator, with no disclosed proprietary AI, software platform, or differentiated digital product.

Name

Schwester-Euthymia-Stiftung

Legal name

Schwester Euthymia Stiftung

Website

https://ses-stiftung.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schwester-Euthymia-Stiftung is a Catholic charitable foundation operating four hospitals and supporting education and logistics units in Lower Saxony, Germany, serving the general populations of Cloppenburg and Vechta counties through statutory health insurance reimbursement under the German DRG system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Acute Care Hospital Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based & Nonprofit Hospital Systems (HLAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Regional General Hospitals (HLAFAAAB), Hospital Shared Services, GPOs & System Support Organizations (HLAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Hospital services
• Acute care
• Inpatient outpatient care
• Medical education training
• Emergency surgical care

Headquarters

HQ city

Vechta

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hospital Services Revenue: Operating costs are covered by health insurance payments (Krankenversicherung), while investments are funded by the state (Land). The foundation generates approximately €330 million in annual revenue from hospital services provided to patients covered by statutory and private health insurance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schwester Euthymia Stiftung operates a Catholic hospital network of four facilities (St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg, Krankenhaus St. Elisabeth Damme, St. Franziskus-Hospital Lohne, and St. Marienhospital Vechta) totaling around 1,000 planned beds and serving patients in the counties of Cloppenburg and Vechta. The foundation delivers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, surgical, maternity, geriatric, orthopedic, vascular, gastroenterology, pediatric, and psychiatric services, supported by its own logistics center and educational/simulation training center for healthcare professionals.

Product overview

Schwester Euthymia Stiftung operates a network of four Catholic hospitals in northwestern Lower Saxony, Germany: St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg, Krankenhaus St. Elisabeth Damme, St. Franziskus-Hospital Lohne, and St. Marienhospital Vechta. Together these hospitals represent approximately 1,000 planned beds with 3,300 employees and annual revenue of approximately 330 million EUR. The foundation also operates the SES-Bildungszentrum (educational center) with a simulation center for medical training, and the SES Logistikzentrum for logistics support. A major development is the Zentralklinikum Vechta-Lohne, a planned centralized hospital combining the Vechta and Lohne locations to address healthcare reform requirements and secure regional medical services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg A general hospital operated by the Schwester Euthymia Stiftung in Cloppenburg, providing comprehensive medical services for the district of Cloppenburg, including triple-certified vascular center (Gefäßzentrum) and Endoprothetikzentrum der Maximalversorgung (EPZmax).
• Krankenhaus St. Elisabeth Damme A general hospital in Damme operated by the foundation, serving the southern part of the Vechta district with a state-funded €6M new central emergency department and a certified diabetes team.
• St. Franziskus-Hospital Lohne A Catholic hospital in Lohne operated by the foundation, providing general medical services and specializing in geriatrics; the Lohne campus is also the site of the new SES-Bildungszentrum simulation center.
• St. Marienhospital Vechta The largest hospital in the foundation, located in Vechta, celebrating 175 years in 2026 and serving as the major medical center for the district, including pediatric and adolescent medicine recognized with Ausgezeichnet für Kinder certification.
• Zentralklinikum Vechta-Lohne A planned central clinic combining St. Marienhospital Vechta and St. Franziskus-Hospital Lohne, with 450 planned beds and total investment of €289M, intended to secure healthcare provision in the Oldenburger Münsterland region amid hospital reform.
• SES-Bildungszentrum (with Simulationszentrum) The foundation's educational center providing training and continuing education for healthcare professionals, including a new simulation training facility opened in Lohne in May 2026 modeled on real operating conditions.
• SES Logistikzentrum The foundation's logistics center supporting the operational needs of its hospital network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% Eigenversorgungsquote in Vechta county - three-quarters of local patients receive treatment within the county
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Karls-Universität PragcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Partnership for medical education to address physician shortages. SES offers scholarships for students to study medicine at the First or Second Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague without Numerus Clausus requirements. Students complete practical training and residency at SES hospitals.
• Landkreis VechtacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025County of Vechta co-sponsors medical scholarships, providing one of four scholarships to support local medical education and secure future physician staffing in the region.
• BRL Boege Rohde LuebbehuesenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hamburg law and consulting firm supporting SES medical scholarships. Partner Stefan Denkhaus has business ties to Krankenhaus Cloppenburg.
• Niedersächsisches GesundheitsministeriumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State health ministry supporting hospital development with €6 million for Damme emergency department and €3.5 million for Cloppenburg modernization. Minister Dr. Andreas Philippi actively supports Zentralklinikum project.
• Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Bau und Liegenschaften (NLBL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Government body conducting expert review of Zentralklinikum plans. Approved €132 million funding application for first construction phase.
• Stadt VechtacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019City of Vechta supports Zentralklinikum development, involved in traffic planning, infrastructure improvements, and public information events. Signed Letter of Intent for the project.
• Stadt LohnecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019City of Lohne supports Zentralklinikum development and post-use planning for the Franziskus-Hospital Lohne site which will house outpatient surgery, geriatric rehabilitation, and educational center.
• Prof. Dr. Norbert RoedercoreOthersRenowned hospital expert from University Hospital Münster, supporting SES with implementation of hospital reform and development of regional care concepts.
• Prof. Dr. Michael QuaascoreOthersMedical and administrative law expert, former judge, supporting SES on legal aspects of hospital reform and potential legal remedies.
• Vechtaer Institut für Forschungsförderung (VIFF e.V.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute organized emergency medicine seminars for medical students with support from St. Marienhospital Vechta.
• Malteser HilfsdienstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency services organization participating in dementia awareness events and crisis intervention team collaboration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Asklepios Kliniken: Asklepios is one of Germany's largest private hospital groups operating a broad portfolio of acute care facilities. Comparable as a multi-site general hospital operator subject to the same DRG and KHVVG regulatory framework, but at significantly larger scale and for-profit ownership.
• Sana Kliniken AG: Sana Kliniken is a major German private hospital chain operating general and specialty hospitals nationwide. Comparable as a multi-site acute care provider competing in the same DRG-funded market, with a comparable mix of municipal, nonprofit, and private ownership models across its network.
• Helios Kliniken GmbH: Helios is Germany's largest private hospital operator with a national network of acute care hospitals. Broadly comparable as a multi-site general hospital operator competing for the same DRG-funded patient population, though operating as a for-profit chain rather than a nonprofit foundation.

Regional players

• Christliches Klinikum Melle: Smaller Christian hospital network in the Osnabrück region adjacent to SES's Cloppenburg-Vechta catchment. Comparable as a faith-affiliated nonprofit general hospital competing for the same rural Lower Saxony patient base.
• Klinikum Oldenburg: Public hospital located in Oldenburg, the major urban center immediately north of SES's service region. Competes directly for patients in the southern Versorgungsregion Oldenburg and represents the primary alternative inpatient provider for SES's catchment area.
• Universitätsklinikum Münster: University hospital of Münster serving the broader Westphalia/Münsterland region that borders SES's catchment. Comparable as a higher-acuity referral hospital competing for complex cases from the same patient pool, though operating as a public university hospital rather than a nonprofit foundation Verbund.

Direct peers

• Alexianer GmbH: Alexianer GmbH is a Catholic hospital and care provider operating multiple hospital sites across northern and western Germany. Highly comparable to SES as a faith-based nonprofit Verbund running general hospitals subject to the same DRG funding and KHVVG reform dynamics.
• Marienhaus GmbH: Marienhaus GmbH is one of Germany's largest Catholic hospital and care operators, running a multi-site general hospital network under a faith-based parent structure. Closely comparable to SES in operating model (Catholic nonprofit hospital Verbund), DRG-based funding, and exposure to German hospital reform.
• St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster: St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster is a Catholic foundation operating a multi-hospital network in the Münsterland region immediately adjacent to SES's territory. Highly comparable as a faith-based nonprofit foundation model operating general hospitals in a rural northwestern German market.
• Niels-Stensen-Kliniken: Niels-Stensen-Kliniken is a Catholic hospital network operating multiple facilities across the Osnabrück and Lower Saxony region. Directly comparable to SES as a faith-based nonprofit general hospital Verbund serving a similar northwestern German catchment with comparable scale and DRG-based revenue model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/schwestereuthymiastiftung/?hl=de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schwester-euthymia-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schwester-Euthymia-Stiftung