Integrated Care Ahead of Nationwide Rollout, Finding the Path in Gwangju

Kimdaejung Convention Center on the 27th... Experts from Across the Country to Participate
Specialized Institutions and RISE Universities to Present Cooperation Models

Ahead of the nationwide rollout of integrated medical and long-term care services, Gwangju Metropolitan City will share the integrated care operation experience and on-site achievements it has accumulated so far with the rest of the country.

The Gwangju city government announced on the 22nd that it will host the “National Conference for the Era of Care in Korea, Opened Together with Local Communities” at 2:00 p.m. on the 27th in the Convention Hall on the 4th floor of the Kimdaejung Convention Center. The conference is being organized on the occasion of the enforcement of the “Integrated Care Support Act.” About 700 participants, including officials from metropolitan and basic local governments nationwide, specialized institutions, and service providers, will attend to discuss implementation strategies and expansion plans for a community-centered integrated care model.

Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. Photo by Song Bohyeon

The event will consist of Part 1, a commemorative ceremony and keynote speech, and Part 2, sector-specific public forums. For the keynote speech, Kim Yongik, Chairman of the Board of the Care and Future Foundation, will present the direction for community-led integrated care under the theme “Care, the Community Takes Center Stage.”

In Part 2, a total of 16 case presentations will be delivered across four sub-sessions. The first sub-session will cover medical-based cases such as public medical care, home-visit oral health education, customized exercise programs, and polypharmacy management. The second sub-session will address daily life-oriented care, including meal support, accompaniment support, and housing support. The third sub-session will share field cases such as collaboration among medical institutions, public-private cooperation, and support for socially isolated households, while the fourth sub-session will introduce district-university cooperation models, service quality management, and training programs to strengthen staff competencies.

In addition, promotional booths operated by 13 organizations will showcase Gwangju’s on-site achievements, including district-specific projects, public-private cooperation models, and care talent development projects.

Since becoming the first in the country in 2023 to introduce the “Universal Care System,” Gwangju has advanced its integrated care model by expanding it into community-based care and medical care. In particular, within the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE), the city is running an “Integrated Care” unit project, through which it is pursuing the training of care professionals and policy support in collaboration with universities. Four related consortia (comprising 11 universities) will take part in this event to present cooperation-based models between local governments and universities.

Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijung said, “Care is the responsibility of the state, and it becomes most powerful when led by local communities,” adding, “The changes that began with Gwangju-style integrated care are becoming the standard for care in Korea.”

Applications to participate in the conference can be submitted online or via QR code until the 26th, and there is no registration fee.