Yeonsu-gu wins health minister’s commendation for integrated addiction rehabilitation support

Yeonsu-gu District (Mayor Lee Jae-ho) in Incheon has received official government recognition for providing seamless support to people with addiction disorders, from initial counseling through to their return to society. The district said on the 19th that it was selected as a top-performing institution in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s evaluation of community mental health welfare centers (basic and addiction), conducted to mark ‘2026 Mental Health Day,’ and received a commendation from the minister of health and welfare.

[The Korean Today] Yeonsu-gu receives commendation from the minister of health and welfare © Reporter Kim Mi-hee

The facility that earned high marks in the evaluation was the Yeonsu-gu Integrated Addiction Management Support Center. The center was recognized for delivering consistent results across all areas of its work, including early identification of residents at risk of addiction, counseling tailored to individual circumstances and the operation of well-structured rehabilitation programs. The award was based on the fact that the process, from identifying at-risk groups to rehabilitation, is connected as a single continuum.

The core of Yeonsu-gu’s support system is that treatment does not end after a single session or stop at brief counseling. The system is designed to provide comprehensive support throughout the entire process until people with addiction disorders can lead healthy lives on their own and settle stably into the community. To this end, the district works closely with the Yeonsu Saenuri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Facility, a specialized psychiatric rehabilitation facility in the district, as well as group homes, to operate its own rehabilitation network.

Support is provided in stages. Clients who receive initial counseling at the center and are connected to treatment then move to the psychiatric rehabilitation facility, where they take part in customized group rehabilitation programs organized by stage. This is followed by close, hands-on care needed to restore daily life, including housing stability support, peer recovery groups, vocational rehabilitation and social adaptation training. The district explained that this stage-by-stage management has been a driving force in lowering relapse rates and helping clients actually return to society.

The center has also raised the level of expertise in its treatment. It introduced an integrated treatment program, whose effectiveness has been validated in academic papers, into its counseling and treatment services. The results were confirmed in figures. Among patients with alcohol use disorder, the level of recovery and the likelihood of maintaining abstinence rose more than sixfold compared with those who received only short-term counseling. The outcome shows that treatment delivered within the community, outside of hospitals, can bring about real change in clients’ recovery.

Following the commendation, the district plans to further strengthen its ‘integrated addiction rehabilitation service,’ which links counseling, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration into a single process. The aim is to more firmly establish a structure in which the community shares responsibility for post-treatment housing, employment and the restoration of personal relationships.

“Because addiction is difficult to overcome through individual willpower alone, an integrated support network in which the community stands together is essential,” Mayor Lee Jae-ho said. “We will spare no effort in building an even stronger, distinctive addiction management and psychiatric rehabilitation network unique to Yeonsu-gu so that all residents can enjoy healthy and happy lives.”

Any Yeonsu-gu resident struggling with addiction, as well as their family members, can use the center’s counseling and rehabilitation programs free of charge. Specialized, customized care is available by visiting the Yeonsu-gu Integrated Addiction Management Support Center in person or by making an appointment in advance by phone (032-236-9477).

The award shows that Yeonsu-gu has established a model in which addiction is not viewed solely as an individual problem, but one in which the community shares responsibility for the entire recovery process. It is also significant in that it validates a channel through which residents facing addiction problems that are difficult to resolve alone can seek help close to home at no cost.

[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]

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