Changwon Special City, All-Out Effort to Manage Health of Vulnerable Groups During Summer Heatwaves

Strengthening Home Health Care for 8,057 Vulnerable Health Groups

Changwon Health Center in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, is strengthening home health care services for 8,057 vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, seniors living alone, and patients with chronic diseases, as the heatwave continues.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The heatwave response T/F team, consisting of 17 visiting nurses and 29 volunteers, visits the households of vulnerable groups to check basic health conditions through temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar monitoring. They also conduct welfare check phone calls and provide information on heatwave prevention health guidelines and emergency response actions to strengthen health monitoring.

Additionally, they provide heatwave-related health supplies such as 3,500 cool sleeves, 2,000 gauze towels, 1,500 fans, and 600 mosquito repellents, as well as nutritional meals for those with nutritional deficiencies. During the hottest midday hours, they guide individuals to nearby cooling shelters, ensuring thorough health management support until the heatwave subsides.

Health guidelines to survive a healthy summer heatwave include ▲ drinking water frequently ▲ staying in cool places such as shade ▲ avoiding outdoor activities during hot hours and taking rest ▲ and listening to weather information such as heatwave warnings daily.

Jung Hye-jeong, director of Changwon Health Center, stated, “The elderly, seniors living alone, and chronic disease patients are especially vulnerable to heatwaves, and exposure to heat-related illnesses can cause much more severe health damage, so extra caution in health management is necessary.” She added, “Health damage caused by heatwaves can be prevented simply by following health guidelines, so it is important to drink water frequently and rest during hot hours.”

Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae Health Centers are operating a heat-related illness emergency room surveillance system involving 11 emergency medical institutions until September 30 to respond promptly to heat-related illnesses caused by summer heatwaves. They plan to continuously monitor major heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and heat cramps.

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