The number of hospitals where people who attempted suicide and came to the emergency room can receive not only treatment but also counseling, case management, and referrals to community resources will increase to 100 nationwide. The move strengthens the emergency room's role as the "last safety net" to prevent repeat suicide attempts.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Foundation For Suicide Prevention (KFSP) said on the 14th they will expand the number of hospitals participating in the "post-management program for suicide attempters based in emergency rooms" from 95 to 100. Launched at 25 hospitals in 2013, the program expanded to 80 in 2023, 90 last year, 93 this year, and now 100.
People who attempt suicide are known to face a suicide risk more than 25 times higher than the general population. Still, many do not move on to counseling or mental health treatment after emergency care, leaving them exposed to the risk of trying again, critics noted.
To address this, participating hospitals will set up a "Life Love Crisis Response Center," where emergency medicine and psychiatry clinicians, nurses, clinical psychologists, and social workers form teams to manage patients. When a person who attempted suicide comes to the emergency room, they receive an initial consultation and suicide risk assessment after emergency care, followed by up to four case-management sessions, and then are connected to community services such as a Suicide Prevention Center or a community mental health and welfare center. The program will also support up to 1 million won per person annually for treatment of physical injuries from the suicide attempt and for psychiatry visits.
The program is showing results. Last year, 22,868 people who attempted suicide visited the emergency rooms of participating hospitals, and 14,414 agreed to case management and received services. Among those who completed four case-management sessions, the share reporting suicidal thoughts fell from 28.8% to 13.8%, less than half, and the share assessed as "high" suicide risk dropped from 17.0% to 5.3%, to less than one-third.
Along with this expansion, the ministry improved the system so that emergency rooms can directly link people who attempted suicide to emergency welfare support. Previously, only staff at a Suicide Prevention Center could apply for emergency welfare, but going forward, staff at a Life Love Crisis Response Center can also apply, enabling swift connections at the ER stage to livelihood, medical, and housing support.