Taean County to Establish 'Medical Complex Healing Village' by 2028

Establishment of an Integrated Medical System for Health Management, Disease Treatment, and Care in Pyeongcheon-ri, Taean-eup

On the 30th, Cho Suhyun, Director of Taean County Health and Medical Center, held a regular briefing at the briefing room of Taean County Office in Chungnam Taean-gun. Photo by Choi Byungmin

Taean County in South Chungcheong Province is launching various projects to establish an "essential medical environment," with the Taean County Public Health Medical Center at its core.

On the 30th, the county held a regular briefing at the county office's briefing room, where it announced that it would focus on expanding public medical facilities and establishing a care system?such as creating the "Taean Medical Complex Healing Village" and operating the "Taean Senior Care Center"?to improve the quality of public health medical services during the 8th civil administration.

First, the "Taean Medical Complex Healing Village Project" aims to establish a comprehensive medical system encompassing health management, disease treatment, and recuperation in the area of 693 Pyeongcheon-ri, Taean-eup, near the public health medical center. Through this project, the county plans to construct a new public health medical center and provide various services in connection with the senior care center.

In August, the project was selected for the "Annual Rural Medical Service Improvement Support Project," securing 13.4 billion KRW in national funding. With a total project cost of 45.1 billion KRW, construction is scheduled to begin in 2026. When completed in 2028, the integrated medical system will combine disease treatment, health management, and care functions, greatly contributing to meeting the medical needs of county residents.

The "Taean Senior Care Center," which held its opening ceremony on the 14th and has now begun full operations, is a facility that provides high-quality public nursing care services. It is directly operated by the county and has been established in Pyeongcheon-ri, Taean-eup, with a total floor area of 1,726 square meters, consisting of one basement floor and two above-ground floors.

The center is equipped with general nursing rooms, a physical therapy room, a program room, a dining and kitchen area, dementia-specialized nursing rooms, and a dementia-specialized day care center. Currently, 11 individuals are admitted to the general nursing home.

The county plans to strengthen the role of public nursing facilities next year by expanding the "dementia-specialized nursing rooms" and "dementia-specialized day care center."

The county is also making every effort to operate the "Taean County Dementia Relief Center." In the first cycle (2023?2024) evaluation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of 256 dementia relief centers nationwide last month, the Taean County Dementia Relief Center was the only one in South Chungcheong Province to receive an A grade. The center is responsible for building dementia infrastructure, identifying blind spots, and providing early dementia screening services.

With the dementia relief center at the forefront, the county is taking the lead in providing high-quality integrated dementia management services in connection with community resources. The county aims to curb the progression of dementia among residents, reduce social costs, and help the elderly design a healthy and happy later life.

In addition, the Taean County Public Health Medical Center is committed to providing prompt and high-quality medical services by thoroughly operating its 24-hour emergency room, five major cancer screening centers, and nine medical departments, as well as expanding emergency room staff, to protect the safety and health of the county's 60,000 residents.

Cho Soohyun, Director of the Taean County Public Health Medical Center, said, "The Taean County Public Health Medical Center is a key institution responsible for the health of local residents, and its importance is very great. We will do our utmost to promote various projects, including building medical infrastructure, to overcome regional health disparities and the crisis of regional extinction."