Yongsan-gu Provides Customized Eyeglass Services for Visually Impaired Children in Vulnerable Groups

Yongsan-gu Provides Customized Health Services for Vulnerable Children

Offering Tailored Integrated Services for Vulnerable Children through the Dream Start Project

‘Bacteria and Pest Control and Disinfection Services’ to Improve Poor Living Conditions

‘Customized Eyeglasses Service’ to Protect the Vision of Low-Vision Children

‘Health Checkup and Vaccination Support Services’ for Healthy Physical Development

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) is providing various customized integrated services for the healthy growth and development of vulnerable children through the ‘Dream Start’ project.

The aim is to ensure equal starting opportunities for children so that they can grow into healthy and happy members of society.

In response to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the district has taken infection prevention measures for vulnerable children with weakened immune systems. From August to October, once a month, ‘bacteria and pest control and disinfection services’ will be provided to households with poor living conditions among the children managed under ‘Dream Start.’

In collaboration with a pest control specialist company, services to control pests such as cockroaches, rats, and mold?which breed bacteria during the summer?and sterilization and disinfection services are provided. Parents will also be educated and monitored to maintain a clean caregiving environment afterward.

With the cooperation of local optical shops, since 2021, a ‘customized eyeglasses service’ has been offered, producing fixed-price custom eyeglasses for low-vision children and continuously managing their glasses.

In the first half of this year, eyeglasses were provided to 17 low-vision children, and in August, an additional 30 children will receive customized eyeglasses.

Additionally, to support the healthy physical development of school-age children, ‘health checkup and vaccination support services’ are also provided.

In April, health checkups were conducted for 57 Dream Start children in grades 3, 5, and 6 who are not included in the elementary school health checkup target group.

The examination items included ▲body measurements ▲vision tests ▲urinalysis ▲blood tests ▲chest X-rays, among others. Children found not to have formed hepatitis B antibodies will receive a three-dose vaccination starting this month.

The district plans not to end the health checkup project as a one-time event but to include children newly selected for case management. This is to provide tailored services to children by setting precise intervention goals based on the physical information from the health checkups.

Mayor Park Hee-young said, “We must support Dream Start children so that they can spend their important growth period well regardless of their economic circumstances,” adding, “We will provide various customized services to help children grow up healthy and properly.”

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