Muan-gun Public Health Center Reborn as a Key Hub for Regional Healthcare

Expansion of Health, Wellness, and Rehabilitation Facilities... Enhancement of Excellent Health Promotion Services

Expansion of Home Healthcare Services, Strengthening Customized Health Management for Local Residents

The Health Center of Muan County, Jeollanam-do, is closing the chapter of the Muan County Office building era that lasted 54 years and opening a new era with its new building. The new health center, which will serve as a central hub for regional healthcare, has relocated to the (former) Muan 5-Day Market area, densely populated with apartment complexes and commercial establishments, offering excellent accessibility for residents. It is expected to become a new living space dedicated to improving the health of local residents.

The new health center was constructed with a total project cost of approximately 27.7 billion KRW, beginning construction in October 2021 and completing in March 2024. The building has two basement floors and four above-ground floors, with a building area of 1,745㎡ and a total floor area of 11,155㎡, including parking space for 165 vehicles.

With a size more than five times larger than the previous building, the center adds various health management and resident convenience facilities, transforming from a simple medical service provider into a place for community interaction.

Along with the Muan County Complex Cultural Center opening next month, it is expected to play a key role in balanced urban-rural development by addressing cultural and health disparities and improving residents' quality of life.

New Muan County Public Health Center Building Exterior [Photo by Muan County]

◇ Expansion of Health, Wellness, and Rehabilitation Facilities, Enhanced Quality Health Promotion Services

The health center will expand its health, medical, and wellness facilities in proportion to its increased space, providing high-quality healthcare and diverse health promotion services. Newly established on the second floor are a fitness room, physical activity program room, nutrition practice room, and rehabilitation exercise room.

The fitness room is equipped with over 20 types of aerobic and strength training equipment, including treadmills, and is available free of charge to all Muan County residents from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

In the physical activity program room, aerobic exercises using tools such as gym balls and pneumatic exercise equipment are offered through classes aimed at obesity management and health promotion. Using devices like body composition analyzers and air bikes in the fitness certification room, participants’ health and fitness levels are assessed before and after programs, allowing for personalized exercise prescriptions.

The nutrition room plans to provide nutrition education led by professional nutritionists focusing on proper eating habits and nutritional status improvement, as well as tailored nutrition practice sessions for chronic disease patients, pregnant women, and infants.

The rehabilitation exercise room, separated from the existing physical therapy room, is equipped with six types of rehabilitation medical devices to enhance the self-health management abilities of disabled individuals with mobility difficulties, helping them lead healthier lives.

The Dementia Safety Center, previously located externally, has moved into the health center and has been newly renovated with counseling rooms, examination rooms, detailed diagnostic rooms, cognitive learning rooms, and program rooms to provide differentiated elderly care integrated with dementia policies.

Utilizing state-of-the-art facilities efficiently, the center operates dementia counseling, registration management, screening and diagnostic tests, patient support, and awareness improvement programs. During dementia diagnostic testing, a physician resides at the health center twice a week to provide counseling and consultation, strengthening dementia management and prevention.

The Mental Health Welfare Center within the health center has also expanded its functions by establishing a mental health program room to enhance rehabilitation and social reintegration programs for registered members, offering integrated and systematic management services including weekly individual consultations with specialists and case-by-case advisory support.

Physical Therapy Room in the New Building of Muan-gun Public Health Center
Photo by Muan-gun

◇ Expansion of Home-Visit Health Services, Strengthening Customized Health Management for Residents

Due to limitations of the previous health center facilities, visiting nurses were assigned to branch health centers in towns and townships, but they have now been relocated to the new health center to strengthen customized health management services for local residents.

Visiting nurses operate in pairs with physical therapists, providing additional medical services highly appreciated by elderly residents, such as joint exercises and taping therapy, and plan to expand more systematic and comprehensive services.

Additionally, experienced visiting nurses will enhance preventive education for residents on hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Medical services at senior centers have also expanded from 20 locations last year to 50 this year, identifying and managing new visitors and adding integrated health management services (chronic diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, rehabilitation, mental health, early dementia screening, oral examinations, etc.) to provide high-quality health services.

The health promotion branch centers actively operate various education and programs (chronic diseases, well-dying, community-centered rehabilitation, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc.) to efficiently utilize their facilities.

Received the Mobile Healthcare Excellence Award in December last year.
[Photo by Muan-gun]

◇ A Community-Engaged, Life-Oriented Health Resting Place

The health center is promoting various initiatives to encourage voluntary physical activity and foster a culture of health.

Last year, the health center trained 63 walking leaders who proactively formed walking clubs to practice walking in daily life. Particularly, before and after participation in walking clubs, participants receive blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol measurements, body composition analysis, and nutrition education to support healthy walking habits and lead the spread of walking culture.

Furthermore, through the mobile healthcare project, residents receive customized health management remotely from experts in various fields, aiding self-health management. Using smartphone apps and smart bands, participants showed a 48% improvement in health behavior and a 29% reduction in health risk factors, demonstrating excellent effects in preventing chronic diseases and promoting self-health management among local residents. Last year, the project was recognized as an excellent institution in mobile healthcare, affirming its expertise.

County Governor Kim San stated, “With the relocation of the health center, we will provide various services including resident-centered health promotion projects and strive to operate a public medical institution that is closer to the residents, becoming a warm resting place where local people can comfortably relax.”

Muan = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy, Reporter Oh Hwan-joo just8440@asiae.co.kr

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