Gwangju Seo-gu Operates Mental Health Service 'Maeum Anshim Bus'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City is operating the ‘Mind Relief Bus’ to help recover the spirits of local residents and office workers exhausted by COVID-19.

According to Seo-gu on the 30th, the Mind Relief Bus was selected last year in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘Mind Relief Bus Operation’ project contest, and it directly visits areas in need of mental health services to provide various psychological support services.

The inside of the bus is arranged as a space for stress measurement, a resting area called the Mom Cafe, and personal counseling, allowing residents to easily and comfortably access it.

The Mind Relief Bus, the first of its kind in Gwangju by Seo-gu, conducted promotional activities while touring 18 neighborhoods within Seo-gu for about two months from last month to this month.

Visiting areas densely populated by vulnerable groups, the Friday Market in Chipyeong-dong, and local government offices, it provided one-stop mental health services including mental health checkups and counseling for a total of 282 people, counseling for high-risk group mental health doctors, and provision of psychological support supplies.

The Mind Relief Bus plans to proactively respond to depression that may arise from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic by visiting office workers in their living areas and elderly people by life cycle, starting with the Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation.

It also plans to strengthen mental health service connections to enable early detection of high-risk mental health groups and ensure that high-risk individuals receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.

A Seo-gu official said, “Through the Mind Relief Bus, we will carefully take care to ensure that no residents are excluded from mental health care and do our best to promote the mental health of residents.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho sdhs6751@asiae.co.kr