Gyeonggi-do to Support Treatment Costs for High-Risk Groups of Novel Coronavirus

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province began operating the 'Gyeonggi Disaster Psychological Support Team' on the 9th to provide psychological treatment for 'post-traumatic stress disorder' caused by the novel coronavirus infection.

The Gyeonggi Disaster Psychological Support Team is composed of 700 members, including 70 mental health specialists from the provincial and city/county mental health welfare centers and 630 full-time center staff, providing counseling services to residents in the event of a disaster within the province.

Residents experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression due to the novel coronavirus infection can receive psychological counseling.

Psychological support is available through a 24-hour hotline (1577-0199) or face-to-face counseling at city/county mental health welfare centers.

If individuals are identified as high-risk through psychological counseling, the province provides continuous case management services and supports psychiatric treatment costs.

Additionally, the province plans to distribute the 'Mind Care Guidelines' to city/county mental health welfare centers and screening clinics to address residents' psychological anxiety and fear.

The Mind Care Guidelines include coping methods such as ▲ focusing on reliable information ▲ seeking help from mental health professionals if struggling ▲ taking care of one's body and mind, along with mental health coping strategies for those in quarantine.

The province previously developed a free positive program for psychological recovery of disaster survivors called the 'Gyeonggi Psychological Immunity Online Program SPRING' (www.g-mind.or.kr).

A provincial official explained, "If symptoms of post-traumatic stress such as loss of appetite, insomnia, or auditory hallucinations occur during self-quarantine, please immediately apply for counseling at local health centers or mental health welfare centers," adding, "Psychological support for confirmed infected patients and their families is being provided by the National Trauma Center (02-2204-0001)."

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