The U. S. Steel Košice Foundation was founded in December 2002 and has been supporting public benefit projects in various areas of life for 22 years. Its mission is to help the region of eastern Slovakia and its inhabitants. We talk about its activities with the administrator of the foundation, Slávka Tvrdoňová.
Where do the funds come from to the foundation and where do they go?
"The foundation draws funds for its activities from two sources. From donations from U. S. Steel Košice and its subsidiary and from a share of the income tax paid again from U. S. Steel Košice and its subsidiary, as well as from our employees. Through donation agreements, we support public benefit activities in our region in the areas of health, education, science, sports, culture and education, the environment, but also in the charitable, social and humanitarian fields."
Since its inception, the Foundation has been supporting medical facilities in the Košice Region. What projects in this area has it supported over the past year?
"During 2024, the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation supported seven health protection and promotion projects in the Košice Region with a total amount exceeding EUR 360,000. At the AGEL Košice-Šaca Hospital a.s., the financial donation of the foundation was used for the reconstruction of the Mammary Centre, which will house state-of-the-art mammography technology. The Highly Specialized Geriatric Institute of St. Lukáš in Košice n.o. used the financial donation to purchase rehabilitation devices, aids and lymphatic drainage equipment in order to improve the quality of patient care.
In 2024, the Foundation also supported the Foundation of the East Slovak Cancer Institute in Košice. The purpose of the financial donation was biomedical research called Highly Accurate Breast Cancer Diagnostic Test to Determine Personalized Treatment and Predict Treatment Response and Prognosis.
Thanks to the financial assistance from the foundation, the premises at the Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology at the Children's University Hospital Košice (DFN Košice) were reconstructed and modernised. The funds from the foundation were also used to purchase several medical devices that are already in service at DFN Košice. It is an ultrasound surgical aspirator CUSA Clarity with accessories, used in the Central Operating Tract. Also a bodyplethysmograph and an expiratory NO analyzer for the Cystic Fibrosis Center. And last but not least, it is a polysomnography diagnostic device that helps diagnose sleep disorders and brain diseases in pediatric patients hospitalized at the Department of Pediatric Neurology," Slávka Tvrdoňová concluded the list of supported projects.
More information about the new polysomnograph was published by the Children's University Hospital Košice on its website:
In our hospital, we can already provide diagnostics of sleep and breathing with a new diagnostic device – a polysomnograph. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of sleep and breathing in children, which is crucial for the diagnosis of sleep disorders, which, unfortunately, are also occurring more and more often in pediatric patients. So far, our patients have undergone this examination in other medical facilities.
A polysomnograph is a specialized device that monitors and records multiple bodily functions during sleep, including brain activity (EEG), eye movements, muscle tone, heart activity, breathing, blood oxygenation. This complex diagnostic process is essential to detect sleep problems such as insomnia, breathing disorders or sleep apnea. This comprehensive examination is especially suitable for patients with pulmonary, endocrinology, ENT and neurological diagnoses that may affect sleep and breathing.
We are happy and thank the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation and the Child in the Hospital, n. o., for their financial support. Thanks to it, we at the Children's University Hospital have the opportunity to help our young patients improve their quality and try to achieve healthy sleep also through a new sleep diagnostic device.
Cover photo: www.dfnkosice.sk
