Busan City Launches Initiative to Promote 'Mental Health Care' Through Local Clinics

Non-Psychiatric Primary Care Clinics, Patients Suspected of Depression and Suicide... Counseling and Screening Tools

Screening for Mental Health Risk Groups → Local Psychiatric Medical Institutions and Mental Health Welfare Centers

Busan City will extend the duration of the ‘Community Clinic Mental Health Care Connection Pilot Project,’ a Ministry of Health and Welfare public contest project first implemented nationwide since March 2022, by two years until March 31, 2026.

Flowchart of the Pilot Project for Community Clinic Mental Health Care Coordination.

The ‘Community Clinic Mental Health Care Connection Pilot Project’ is a program in which non-psychiatric primary medical institutions screen patients for mental health risk groups through physician consultation or screening tools (PHQ-9) when they detect patients suspected of depression or suicide risk during treatment, and then connect them to local psychiatric medical institutions or mental health welfare centers.

Currently, 198 non-psychiatric primary medical institutions in the Busan area are participating, and these institutions screen for mental health service candidates and connect identified risk groups to local psychiatric medical institutions for timely treatment and management.

During the project period, patients’ co-payments for treatment at community clinics are waived, allowing free use without financial burden.

Additionally, following the review by the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee in February, the pilot project’s name was changed to ‘Community Clinic Mental Health Care Connection Pilot Project.’

With the new name and the two-year extension, the pilot project now includes a pre-consultation simple survey process conducted in the waiting room before treatment, providing project information and confirming patients’ willingness to participate for mental health counseling.

Furthermore, the method of prioritizing referral to psychiatric medical institutions has been improved to prioritize connection to mental health welfare centers, thereby strengthening the role of the centers.

Through prior project guidance, patients’ concerns about adverse effects on employment or academics and the leakage of medical records are alleviated, and by prioritizing connection to mental health welfare centers, more substantial counseling and case management services are expected to be provided.

If the patient wishes or if urgent treatment is deemed necessary, or if the mental health welfare center judges that additional counseling and case management require treatment, referral to psychiatric medical institutions will be made.

In particular, this year, a project consultative body at the district and county level will be formed and operated, and in cooperation with local medical associations, efforts will be made to further expand participating medical institutions and focus on early detection and active connection of risk groups experiencing mental difficulties such as depression.

Community clinics wishing to participate can apply by mail, fax, or direct visit to the health center of the district or county where the clinic is located.

This project is expected to establish a system for routinely checking and detecting mental health issues through community clinics located within living areas, improving awareness and accessibility to mental health services.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “As social isolation, economic hardship, and other social environmental changes increase levels of depression and anxiety, and social concerns grow, the interest of citizens and active cooperation of local medical institutions are more important than ever to protect precious lives. Our city will continue to strive to alleviate the emotional isolation of mental health risk groups and build a social safety net to improve citizens’ mental health.”

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