Seoul National University Hospital 'Dottori House' First Anniversary of the Opening of the Hospital, Gift of Rest and Hope to Patients and Families
Nov 05, 2024
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Founded with the support of Nexon and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Acorn House is a space where children and adolescents with severe and rare diseases under the age of 24 who need constant medical support, such as ventilators or oxygen use, can stay safely without their guardians in a stable state. It provides comprehensive medical and care services to severely pediatric patients and their families who need 24-hour care, relieving the burden of care and supporting opportunities for rest and recharging.
Over the past year, Acorn House has established itself as a new model of domestic medical care, providing a space of rest and emotional support to about 226 patients and their families.
Acorn House has a total of 12 short-term hospital beds, program rooms, and counseling rooms, and helps patients' emotional stability through play with volunteers and music therapy programs conducted by experts. The images of patients participating in the program were shared with their families through photos and videos, so guardians were relieved to see their children stay safe and happy from a distance. In addition, from April this year, an emotional support program for the patient's brothers and sisters was introduced to strengthen the bond of the entire family and support emotional stability.
From July this year, the number of days used per year has been expanded from the previous 20 days to 30 days, allowing more families to benefit. Through this, guardians could afford to recharge by taking medical checkups or spending time with other children that had been delayed while using the acorn house.
One guardian said, "It was not easy to leave the child in charge even for a moment, but I was relieved to see the child happy when I saw the photos and videos sent from the acorn house."Now, the acorn house is the strong support of our family," he said.
Celebrating this precious time, a photo exhibition of 'Dotori House, First Fruit' is being held at the Insulje Plaza on the first basement floor of Seoul National University Hospital from November 4-8, marking the first anniversary of the opening of the Acorn House. The exhibition contains precious moments of patients and their families who used Acorn House, reflecting on the meaning of rest and recharging provided by Acorn House to severely pediatric and adolescent patients and their families. Photos of the patients' bright smiles and the warm sympathy of their families are deeply touching to visitors.
Government and Nexon officials attended the opening event of the photo exhibition held on the 4th to commemorate the achievements of Acorn House together. Nexon 'Maple Story' delivered a donation of 300 million won to support the center's operation and program, and cheered patients and their families by presenting tablets to severely pediatric patients to have a good time. On the 8th, a small concert for school staff will be held on the roof of the acorn house to celebrate the first anniversary of its opening together.
Seoul National University Hospital President Kim Young-tae said, `Seoul National University Hospital is the first national central hospital to operate a standalone short-term medical care center in Korea, and we will do our best to be a safe and warm shelter for severely ill children and their families"We will continue to support the growth and development of acorn houses so that we can deeply understand the difficulties faced by patient families and move toward a more hopeful future."
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