Gyeonggi Province Supports Emergency Care Services and Recruits Service Providers

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is providing emergency care services for residents who have contracted COVID-19 without guardians or face sudden crisis situations such as illness or accidents that require care but cannot access existing care services.

The emergency care service is an initiative that the province and the Gyeonggi Province Social Service Center have been pursuing since February 2021. When it is difficult to resolve situations with existing care service personnel alone, the Gyeonggi Province Social Service Center dispatches an emergency care support team to homes or facilities.

Emergency care services are divided into COVID-19 emergency care and non-COVID-19 emergency care.

COVID-19 emergency care can be requested when home COVID-19 confirmed cases require self-quarantine and care service suspension, and there is no available guardian to provide care or alternative services.

It is also available when staffing gaps in care personnel occur at social welfare facilities due to staff confirmations, or when a city or county recognizes that emergency care is urgently needed due to COVID-19.

Non-COVID-19 emergency care targets users who need immediate care due to sudden crisis situations such as illness or accidents, users who cannot receive existing long-term care or activity support services in a timely manner, and users who need care until other care services are arranged.

To date, Gyeonggi Province has dispatched 343 emergency care support team members to provide household and social activity support, home bathing, and home nursing care to 548 individuals including social welfare facility users and residents.

Residents of Gyeonggi Province can apply for services at the administrative welfare centers of their respective eup, myeon, or dong.

Care-related officials from cities and counties can apply directly to the Gyeonggi Province Social Service Center when emergency care situations arise.

Meanwhile, on May 12, the province held an emergency care project briefing session in the Dasan Hall at the Gyeonggi Province Human Resources Development Institute for officials from 31 cities and counties in the province to enhance understanding among care-related government employees and to facilitate cooperation with cities and counties.

Additionally, as demand for emergency care increases, the province continuously recruits emergency care support team members until emergency care situations end.

Anyone with relevant care qualifications such as care workers or social workers can apply. Inquiries can be made to the Gyeonggi Province Social Service Center Emergency Care Task Force main number (031-882-8579) or through the Gyeonggi Province Social Service Center website (gg.pass.or.kr).

Yoon Young-mi, Director of the Welfare Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We will strengthen and operate non-COVID-19 emergency care services to address care gaps that are expected during the government's full lifting of social distancing and the process of returning to normal life."