Nowon-gu, Secret to Winning the Grand Prize for the 2022 Health Care Project Excellence Case?

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Highly Praised for Diverse and Professional Approaches, Selected as Model Case for Other Districts with Initiatives Like Encouraging Recluses to Go Out, Accompanying Hospital Visits for Medication Management, and Cooking Programs for Single-Person Households · Established Seoul's First Dedicated 'Health Care Team' in September 2018, Currently Managing Over 140 People

Nowon-gu Health Care Team

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has been selected as the best case district for the 2022 Health Care Service project among Seoul's autonomous districts.

The "Health Care Service" is a project that provides customized health management programs to vulnerable groups in need of both health and care, identified within the local community. A dedicated health care team composed of professionals visits these individuals to provide face-to-face services.

The annual "Health Care Service Best Practice Reporting Contest" features health care practitioners from autonomous districts selected through preliminary screening, who present and share their final achievements and best practices. Nowon-gu won the Excellence Award for two consecutive years last year and the year before, and this year received the Grand Prize.

As a best practice, the district presented the process of the project conducted for Mr. A and the results of his health improvement based on objective indicators. When the health care team visited, the subject was suffering from diabetes, cerebral infarction, heart disease, and renal failure, and his nutritional status was poor, eating only one meal of ramen per day. He had been living in seclusion in a small room for a long time, showing signs of depression and suicide risk.

Accordingly, the team set priorities through expert case meetings and established a "care plan." They first determined that the heavy medication for six diseases was the cause of the kidney disease, and after consulting specialists, reduced the number of medications taken by about 40% to decrease drug dependency.

To prevent diabetic complications, education and management on a three-meal dietary regimen were conducted, resulting in actual improvement in blood sugar levels. By going out daily and performing strength exercises for more than 30 minutes, Mr. A is now actively participating in various programs such as drawing and writing, and is also taking part in the public health center's cooking program for single-person households, regaining confidence through purchasing ingredients and cooking practice.

The evaluators praised the district's diverse and professional approach for maximizing the effectiveness of health care. In particular, they highlighted the success in encouraging reclusive chronic patients to go out through programs, accompanying patients to hospitals and pharmacies for medication management, and the cooking program for single-person households as exemplary cases to be shared with other districts.

Meanwhile, Nowon-gu formed the first dedicated health care team in Seoul in September 2018. The team consists of a doctor, nurse, nutritionist, physical therapist, and social worker, providing more professional and systematic services. Currently, about 140 people are registered as beneficiaries and receiving customized care.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "The desire for health management is high and important for everyone, so we could not overlook the health of those in welfare blind spots," adding, "We will continue to do our best to create Nowon, a 100-year healthy city where everyone is healthy and happy."

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