Gyeonggi Province Opens Its First Community Treatment Center for Mild COVID-19 Patients

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province's first community treatment center, designed to treat mild COVID-19 patients and support their swift return to daily life, opened on the 19th at Hana Life Training Institute in Yongin and began full operations.

Governor Lee Jae-myeong of Gyeonggi Province, Yeo Seung-joo, President and CEO of Hana Life Insurance, and Baek Rong-min, President of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, held a signing ceremony on the afternoon of that day at Hana Life Lifepark in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, and agreed to mutually cooperate in the operation of the community treatment center.
According to the agreement, Gyeonggi Province will oversee the operation of the community treatment center, provide necessary administrative personnel, support the budget required for center operations, and actively cooperate in restoring the facilities to their original condition after use.
Hana Life Insurance will provide the facilities at Hana Life Lifepark as the community treatment center, while Seoul National University Bundang Hospital will dispatch medical personnel and provide medical equipment, as well as oversee the treatment and health management of admitted patients.

Governor Lee said in remarks on the day, “We inevitably opened this community treatment center as a shortage of medical facilities is anticipated,” and added, “Rather than replacing hospitals, we will provide a good living environment that substitutes for home, so that (residents) can comfortably receive treatment and return to their lives.”
The governor further stated, “As the COVID crisis is expected to continue for a considerable period, I believe we now must prepare for coexistence,” and said, “I would like to extend my gratitude to Hana Life for making the difficult decision to provide space, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital for providing medical support, and the citizens of Yongin for accommodating the community treatment center without difficulty.”

The Gyeonggi-style community treatment center will operate in a ‘home-substitute model’ rather than a ‘hospital-substitute model.’ By accepting patients in the recovery stage following hospitalization, the goal is to reduce management burdens and support patients' psychological and emotional recovery to facilitate smooth reintegration into society.

The Hana Life Lifepark Training Institute, which is being used as the community treatment center, has a capacity of 160 rooms and opened in May 2018. It consists of three buildings including a lecture hall and dormitory building.
Approximately 60 of the roughly 180 patients currently hospitalized at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center will be admitted sequentially, with three patients admitted immediately following the signing ceremony on the day being the first residents.
Center staff comprises 61 people organized in four teams, of which 43 are on-site personnel. Civil staff including government officials, medical personnel, police, military, and private contractors will handle administration, waste management, medical support including psychological counseling, and emergency hospital transfer of severe patients when necessary.
Additionally, a 14-member joint support team for the community treatment center, headed by the Provincial Autonomous Administration Director, will manage and support overall center operations.

Prior to this, Gyeonggi Province had held meetings with training facility operators and general hospital directors throughout the province since early this month under Governor Lee's direction to designate the community treatment center and seek cooperation. It also launched a comprehensive support team for the community treatment center to prepare for its designation and opening.
At the earlier meetings, the province secured over 1,000 rooms across eight facilities where companies agreed to provide community treatment center space. The province is preparing to open a second community treatment center in case confirmed cases increase, preparing for contingencies.