Operation of Hwaseong-si 'Visiting Mind Relief Bus'

Community Mental Health Promotion... Early Detection and Treatment Support for High-Risk Groups

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province operates the '2024 Visiting Mind Safety Bus' to promote mental health in the local community.

The Mind Safety Bus provides mobile counseling services to residents in vulnerable areas experiencing mental health difficulties. This aims to reduce residents' reluctance to use mental health services and to identify high-risk groups early, connecting them to treatment services.

The Mind Safety Bus offers psychological support services such as ▲mental health self-assessment ▲stress tests ▲mind health training. For high-risk mental health groups, it also provides in-depth counseling, case management, linkage to related organizations, and support for treatment costs.

The city plans to operate the Mind Safety Bus in the first half of the year mainly targeting rental apartments pre-registered in February, local companies and organizations, and disaster-affected areas.

Shim Jeong-sik, director of Hwaseong City Western Public Health Center, said, "With the population surpassing one million last year and rapid growth, the number of vulnerable mental health groups is also increasing, but there are cases where service accessibility is low. We hope that through the Mind Safety Bus, citizens will recognize the importance of mental health and have opportunities to take care of their own mental health."

Since operating the 'Happy Bangbang Mind Health Bus' in 2018, the city has been running the 'Visiting Mind Safety Bus' since 2022 after being selected for a Ministry of Health and Welfare public contest project. Up to last year, the Mind Safety Bus has operated a total of 130 times, providing mental health counseling to 2,849 people, and among 305 high-risk individuals identified, 151 were connected to mental health services.