Dr. Ulrich Heida retires after 25 years leading Wolfenbüttel's emergency services

After 25 years of service, Dr. Ulrich Heida has retired as Medical Director of Emergency Services in the Wolfenbüttel region. His career, spanning from 1990 to 2025, included leadership roles in air rescue, mass-casualty response, and pandemic vaccination efforts. The district has now transitioned emergency medical responsibilities to Wolfenbüttel Municipal Hospital under new direction.

Dr. Heida first joined Wolfenbüttel Municipal Hospital in 1990. By 2001, he became Medical Director of Emergency Services, a position he held until 2025. During this time, he also led the air rescue base from 1995 to 2019, coordinating emergency responses aboard the Christoph 30 helicopter.

His tenure saw major developments in emergency care. He helped design improved protocols for mass-casualty incidents and pushed for the expansion of rescue stations. One of his final projects was a new facility in Cremlingen, which began construction in January 2026. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Dr. Heida took charge of the district's vaccination centre. Between January and October 2021, his team administered 91,000 doses. Mobile units later delivered over 45,000 additional vaccinations by the end of 2022. With Dr. Heida's departure, Wolfenbüttel Municipal Hospital has assumed full responsibility for emergency services. Helge Trauden, an anesthesiology specialist and senior physician, now serves as the new Medical Director of Emergency Services.

The district continues to manage emergency medical services through partnerships with the German Red Cross in Wolfenbüttel and Salzgitter. Dr. Heida's retirement marks the end of an era, leaving behind a strengthened infrastructure and a new generation of leadership. His work in air rescue, vaccination campaigns, and emergency protocols has shaped the region's medical response for decades.