In Odesa, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the presentation of the new Superhumans Odesa war trauma center. The facility will provide free prosthetic care, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, and social reintegration services to military personnel and civilians, adults and children, who have been affected by Russia's aggression. It is the third Superhumans center, following those in Lviv and Dnipro.
“It is important that the philosophy behind the center is expanding along with the center itself. From the very first day, Superhumans was conceived as more than just a hospital. It is a place where a new normal for life is created. Here, after the most severe injuries, a person stops being just a patient. They become a person again – someone who can work, love, raise children, play sports, dream, and build a future. This is where people regain not only their physical abilities. This is where they regain faith in themselves,” the President's wife emphasized.
The Superhumans Odesa project was implemented with the support of Expertise France and the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Expertise France served as the center’s principal partner, supporting not only the project's implementation but also the training, education, and professional development of the team that works with patients. The center was built on the site of a former Ministry of Health children's sanatorium that has been closed since 2019.
“The most valuable outcome of this kind of partnership is that it leaves behind far more than walls and equipment. It leaves knowledge, new approaches, trained professionals, and strong institutions. That is what makes a healthcare system more resilient. The best international assistance is the kind that leaves a country stronger, not because it depends on continued support, but because it has greater capacity of its own. That is precisely the thinking behind France's contribution to strengthening the healthcare system in the Odesa region,” Olena Zelenska said.
Each Superhumans center has its own area of specialization. The Lviv center serves as the flagship facility for reconstructive surgery, inpatient treatment, international medical missions, and specialist training. The Dnipro center operates as close as possible to the front line, providing rapid prosthetic maintenance and support for service members.
Superhumans Odesa will become the network's center for psychological recovery, social reintegration, and adaptive sports. The facility has already begun receiving its first patients and is expected to provide care to around 800 patients annually once it reaches full capacity. Prosthetic care, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, and social reintegration services are already available, while a hearing restoration program will be launched in the next phase.
“I believe that today we are opening more than just a new center. This is where our country's true resilience is being built. I hope that our entire society becomes just as supportive, understanding, and inspiring. I hope that after leaving this welcoming center, its graduates will find employers, colleagues, neighbors, and people around them who are just as supportive. We all have work to do – our entire country, all of us. But the first important step is undoubtedly being taken here,” the First Lady concluded.