Yongin's 'New Gyeonggi Provincial Psychiatric Hospital' Opens on the 11th... 50 Beds

[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital changed its name to "New Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital" and opened on the 11th.

The New Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital opened after leasing and remodeling the former Seoul Municipal Mental Hospital building located in Giheung-gu, Yongin City.

The hospital has 50 beds across one basement floor and five above-ground floors, staffed by a total of 53 personnel including six doctors?five psychiatrists and one family medicine physician?as well as nurses and pharmacists. The hospital is operated by the Gyeonggi Medical Center.

Previously, in May of last year, the province announced the "Strengthening Mental Illness Management System" plan, which includes enhancing emergency treatment for mental illness patients and establishing a social safety net. They prepared a plan to strengthen the functions of the existing Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital and reopen it.

The New Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital will have psychiatrists on duty 24 hours a day and establish a response system capable of emergency and administrative admissions for patients with severe mental illnesses, aiming to minimize treatment blind spots.

Instead of conventional treatments such as isolation and restraint commonly practiced in many psychiatric hospitals, the hospital will implement inpatient treatment that respects human rights and will also run recovery support programs to help patients return to the community promptly.

Additionally, it will serve as the center for community mental health management by taking on the role of the "Mental Health Crisis Response Center." The Mental Health Crisis Response Center is a concept newly introduced in Korea, providing intensive short-term treatment and support for social reintegration for psychologically and socially vulnerable individuals facing acute mental health crises.

The province originally planned to open the hospital in March but postponed the opening to prioritize operating a "24-hour Mental Emergency Patient COVID-19 Screening Clinic" to treat mental emergency patients vulnerable to infection amid the spread of COVID-19.

Kim Seong-su, director of the New Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital, emphasized, "The New Gyeonggi Provincial Mental Hospital prioritizes providing differentiated mental health services and will strive to support healthier and safer lives for Gyeonggi residents by eliminating blind spots in mental emergency response through a 24-hour emergency response system."

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