Gwanak-gu held an opening ceremony Thursday at Sillim Community Welfare Center for the first location of the Gwanak Health Care Eum Center, a community-based integrated care hub.
The Gwanak Health Care Eum Center is a specialized integrated care project run by the district, designed to help residents maintain healthy daily lives by identifying and connecting people in need through local welfare centers, offering prevention-focused programs and providing a permanent rest space. The name "Eum" — meaning "connection" — reflects the center's mission to link health, care and welfare services into a single offering for residents while also serving as a bridge between those in need and district and neighborhood administrative offices.
Following an open call in March, the district selected Sillim Community Welfare Center (first location) and Seoul YWCA Bongcheon Community Welfare Center (second location) in April as the regional hub operators and signed MOUs with both.
The integrated care hubs carry out the core functions of community-based care: operating a consultation and information desk, identifying and referring eligible residents using pre-screening surveys, running prevention programs covering exercise, nutrition and health management, and providing a permanent rest space.
The first location runs a range of programs — health management courses linked with Hallym University, nutrition management, fall-prevention physical activity, and psychological and emotional support. Following an outreach oral health education session for seniors held in June, a pharmacist-led medication review and education visit is scheduled for August.
A multipurpose rest area open to all residents has also been set up. A "Health Zone" equipped with blood pressure monitors and body composition analyzers offers the district's specialized "Senior Health Massage Service." A separate "Healing Zone" uses herbal tea as a way for neighbors to build community connections.
Starting with two locations this year, the district plans to expand the Gwanak Health Care Eum Center network to five locations by 2030. Through this expansion, the district aims to establish integrated care hubs across all zones, making it easier for residents to access health management and care services close to where they live.
District Mayor Park Jun-hee said he hopes the centers will become "a welcoming neighborhood gathering place where anyone can drop in without hesitation, get the help they need and take a rest," adding that the district will do its utmost to build a "Gwanak-style integrated care" system so residents can continue living healthy and dignified lives in their own communities.
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