Opening of Gyeongbuk-do Suicide Prevention Center

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office building. (Photo by Gyeongbuk Province)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Yushin] Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 15th that it will establish a suicide prevention center this year and invest 16.9 billion KRW in mental health services to protect precious lives.

In the first half of the year, the suicide prevention center scheduled to open in Gyeongju will deploy 16 professionals to carry out projects such as creating life-loving communities, preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, and discovering and supporting high-risk groups.

Three mental emergency response teams will be organized by region to cooperate with the police, fire department, and medical institutions in urgent situations for prompt on-site response.

To continuously support patient treatment, hospital costs will be subsidized for low-income groups, and after discharge, rehabilitation programs tailored to patient needs will be provided in connection with mental health promotion facilities.

Promotion will be strengthened so that help can always be requested, and mobile mental health services using buses will be expanded targeting office workers, seniors, housewives, and university students.

Additionally, projects implemented according to life cycles such as Youth Mind Growth School, University Student Mental Health Expo, and Senior Mind Health 100 Years will be operated more systematically, and the expertise and capabilities of mental health welfare centers will be strengthened.

Lee Kangchang, Director of Welfare and Health at Gyeongbuk Province, said, "Just as people visit hospitals when they catch a cold, we want to raise awareness that when the mind is troubled or hurt, people should seek help and receive treatment, and we will strive to make professional services more easily accessible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.