Integrated Medical, Care, and Housing Services: Gwangsan-gu Launches Main Integrated Care Program for People with Disabilities

About 1,200 People with Severe Physical or Brain Disabilities Eligible

Thirteen Types of Services Provided, Including Primary Care Physicians and Hospital Accompaniment

In Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, Jeonnam, there are approximately 1,200 people under the age of 65 with severe physical or brain disabilities who require integrated medical and nursing care. Gwangsan-gu began a pilot project in March of this year, providing 59 services to 13 individuals so far, and transitioned to the main program starting last month.

According to Gwangsan-gu on October 2, the integrated medical and nursing care program for people with disabilities targets individuals under 65 with severe disabilities who require a variety of supports to maintain their daily lives. The program links medical care, daily living support, housing, and other services for its beneficiaries.

An official from Gwangsan District is visiting target households of integrated medical and nursing care for the disabled to provide consultation. Courtesy of Gwangsan District

Gwangsan-gu offers 13 types of services across 9 categories, including nationwide common services such as designated primary care physicians, rehabilitation, and activity support, as well as local initiatives such as hospital accompaniment (Hublance), social prescriptions, and a housing welfare project called "Intermediate Home."

From the pilot phase, the district has been identifying eligible recipients and creating individualized support plans. As of now, all 13 beneficiaries have received a total of 59 services.

Since the transition to the main program, the focus has shifted to identifying eligible individuals earlier and connecting them to the services they need. Gwangsan-gu has been discussing ways to discover recipients with organizations like the Gwangsan-gu Disability Welfare Center and the Suwan Health Life Support Center, and has also been coordinating service connections with medical institutions such as Gwangju 365 Rehabilitation Hospital.

A "Integrated Care Service for People with Disabilities" manual was also created to standardize work criteria among involved organizations. The manual has been shared with both operating institutions and partner organizations.

On September 17, a joint support meeting was held with the Korea Disabled People’s Development Institute, an affiliate of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to review the project’s operational framework. According to Gwangsan-gu, the institute positively evaluated the municipality’s progress and the integration of local resources into the support efforts.

Gwangsan-gu Mayor Park Byungkyu said, "For integrated medical and nursing care for people with disabilities to function properly, participation and cooperation from the local community are vital," adding, "We will continue to focus on gathering feedback from the field and identifying local resources that can be utilized in order to provide integrated care that people with disabilities and their families can truly experience."

As of January this year, there were about 17,400 registered people with disabilities in Gwangsan-gu. Of these, approximately 1,200 were identified as being under 65 years old with severe physical or brain disabilities who require integrated medical and nursing care.

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