Severance Hospital Opens 'Developmental Disability Hub Hospital and Behavioral Development Promotion Center'

On the morning of the 13th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the Severance Hospital Developmental Disability Hub Hospital and Behavioral Development Promotion Center held an opening ceremony and began operations.

Yonsei Medical Center exterior. [Photo by Yonsei Medical Center]

The Developmental Disability Hub Hospital and Behavioral Development Promotion Center is a medical institution designated by the Minister of Health and Welfare to enable individuals with developmental disabilities to use medical services efficiently and systematically, and to treat behavioral problems such as self-harm and harm to others. Currently, a total of 11 centers are operating in 8 cities and provinces including Seoul, Gangwon, and Busan, with approximately 342 million KRW in annual operating expenses supported for each institution.

Severance Hospital has secured personnel such as behavioral therapy specialists and equipped facilities necessary for operating the Behavioral Development Promotion Center, including treatment rooms and observation facilities, to provide treatment for behavioral problems of individuals with developmental disabilities. Additionally, it has established a cooperative medical system among departments within the hub hospital and appointed medical coordinators to assist with appointment scheduling, guidance, and referral for cooperative treatment, ensuring that individuals with developmental disabilities face no difficulties in using medical institutions.

At the opening ceremony, Song Junheon, Director of the Disability Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, expressed gratitude to Severance Hospital for undertaking the important task of supporting customized medical services for individuals with developmental disabilities and urged them to faithfully fulfill their role as a Developmental Disability Hub Hospital. He added, "The government will continue to provide more robust and detailed support so that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families can live comfortably in their communities."