Gwangju Seo-gu Signs Care Support Agreement for Discharged Patients with 6 Hospitals

Published 14 Jul.2023 14:22(KST)

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) is providing post-discharge patient care services by establishing a cooperative system with local hospitals.

On the 14th, Seo-gu announced that it signed a "Post-Discharge Patient Home Return Support Agreement" with six acute care and nursing hospitals in the Gwangju area (Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju Veterans Hospital, Bitgoeul Chonnam National University Hospital, Happy View Hospital, Gwangju 365 Rehabilitation Hospital, and Municipal Second Nursing Hospital).

Seogu held a home return support project agreement ceremony for discharged patients on the 14th. <br>[Photo by Seogu]

Seogu held a home return support project agreement ceremony for discharged patients on the 14th.
[Photo by Seogu]

This agreement was promoted as part of the pilot project for integrated elderly medical care support led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

It was also initiated to prevent unnecessary readmissions and facility admissions in advance by integrally linking and providing health and welfare services to elderly patients discharged from hospitals who have mobility difficulties or require daily care, supporting their healthy return to their original living spaces.

According to the agreement, hospitals will identify patients with high care needs among those scheduled for discharge by assessing their socioeconomic status, physical and functional levels, and Seo-gu will provide integrated support for customized home medical care and daily life care services based on the information and consultation survey received from the hospitals.

In particular, Seo-gu plans to implement ▲ health care support such as home visits, customized exercise visits, and hospital accompaniment ▲ housing support including home repairs, installation of safety bars, and provision of temporary care housing ▲ daily life support such as meals, housekeeping, nursing, and care ▲ AI welfare workers and smart residential care by establishing a cooperative system with the local community for discharged patients.

The project period is 2 years and 6 months from this month until December 2025, and the target patients include those hospitalized for cerebrovascular disease, cerebral infarction, respiratory issues, fractures, and chronic diseases who are discharged from hospitals, as well as patients scheduled for discharge after more than 120 days of hospitalization in nursing hospitals who require linkage to community resources.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, "We will establish an organic cooperative system with hospitals so that elderly people with mobility difficulties can recover stably in their daily lives after discharge, and present the most pioneering integrated care model among local governments nationwide."

Meanwhile, Seo-gu has promoted community-integrated care for four years from 2019 to 2022, creating a top-level integrated care model nationwide, and has launched the nation's first home medical care center and the only smart care service project for the elderly in the country.