In addition to general clinical case services and administrative work for disability authentication and accounting business, our work includes patient support group and community outreach services in terms of groups; community advocacy, prison group programs, blind massage parlor management, programs for cooperation with outside institutions, and medical team work in terms of communities; social resources development and operation and social resources management in the social respect: donations, in-kind contribution and social resources archiving, inter-resource contact schemes, and social welfare consultation.

Founded in October 1984, the Social Work Office engaged professional social workers to carry out and promote medical social work, with the aim of helping the patients and their families to deal with the social, psychological, family, and economic problems associated with the disease and promoting the medical effect. In 1991, it actively planned community health care work, boosted the medical service level, and cared for people and gave back to the community. At that time, the hospital had been providing services for "sexual assaults on young girls" and "protective cases." On December 29, 1996, a little girl surnamed Lin sustained sexual assault, leading to a hernia. Since this case was accepted by CMUH, the hospital later established in 1997 the "Medical Center for Sexual Abuse."

 

In 2000, the Social Work Office actively promoted protective work in the hospital and set up a 24-hour rotation service for emergency social work, in the hope of immediately assisting abuse cases. The Social Work Office attaches great importance to the collaboration with other professional teams in the hospital and was praised for its teamwork.

 

The hospital has the highest number of reports for abuse cases, as well as the largest number of suicide prevention cases and reports in Taichung City. In 2005, it was selected by the Ministry of the Interior for its contribution to the promotion of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention in the nation; in 2015, it was awarded the Excellence Group Award for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual abuse in Taichung City. In 2007, it received Grade-A health care praise in domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment prevention at the level of municipalities and counties or cities; in 2015, it was evaluated as excellent in medical examination of victims for evidence collection with respect to domestic violence and sexual assault prevention by Taichung City medical institutions.

 

In 2015, it undertook the Taichung City Child and Youth Protection Medical Service Demonstration Center Project.  Inaugurated by City Mayor Lin Chia-lung and the hospital on May 4, 2016, the Taichung City Child and Youth Protection Medical Service Center aims to provide integrated medical care for abused children, immediately intervene in diagnosis and counselling, and collect judicial evidence for litigation to protect children for the sake of justice. The center is the only one organization funded by the local government nationwide, where 26 doctors, nurses, and social workers in the hospital formed the Child and Youth Protection Committee, thereby integrating the medical resources of all departments to provide a one-stop diagnosis and care for abused children.

The Social Work Office actively supports the nursing, rehabilitation, family medicine, and other units of the hospital to set up a long-term care team to promote long term medical care, including home care, day care, nursing home, and elderly care, with the aim of implementing family-oriented health care.

 

The Social Work Office has also supported the remote areas where medical resources are lacking over a long period of time and offered free clinic services, in order to carry out the government's policy of caring for the people and actively identify diseases and promote preventive healthcare.

 

The Social Work Office also assists the medical units to hold lectures on health care in the community and in the workplace so as to implement preventive medicine and promote the health of community residents. In line with the hospital’s medical policy on serving and caring for the community, the Social Work Office continues to expand its involvement in community medical care work.

 

In the long-term care of disadvantaged groups, the office, along with the Taichung City Labor Affairs Bureau and the Taichung City Blind Welfare Association, set up the “blind massage parlor,” which has contributed to the employment of people with disabilities, for which it was praised in 2009 by the Taichung City Government.

 

On August 14, 2014, it joined the “Love．Connection” platform project in central Taiwan launched by Taiwan Semiconductor for helping seniors living alone. In conjunction with the Old Five Old Foundation and the Lin Tseng Lien Welfare and Charity Foundation, it continues to provide the elderly with case management, medical care, medical expenses reduction and exemption, and drug and health care services, as well as deliver care for seniors living alone in Nantou County Xinyi Township Shuanglong Village, Taichung City Heping District, Dongshih District, Shigang District, Xinshe District, and Beitun District by assisting in cleaning up the environment, conducting home visitation, making phone calls, and holding care activities. As of the end of 2016, 335 seniors living alone had been admitted.

 

Launched on November 11, 2015, the Taichung Special Education School for the Visually Impaired assistance program provides medical support and music therapy and set up a music classroom to help blind children in the school.

The enthusiasm of the volunteers adds a homely touch to the hospital and makes the patients feel comfortable and warm in the hospital as at home. Currently, the hospital is staffed with more than 300 volunteers. Volunteers can be found on every corner of the hospital, providing all-round services according to the needs of the patients and the units.

 

Voluntary services are important human resources for human care. Adhering to past traditions, the volunteers in the hospital provide long-term and stable voluntary work, and with the change in society, have developed a variety of service programs, with the service mindset transformed from conventional dedication and sacrifice into professional sense of mission. As a result, when the patient is most in need, there are a group of volunteers with compassion who appear at any time and provide specialized human services.

 

The CMUH Social Work Office also offers services for the management and supervision by the volunteers in the hospital.

 

As the voluntary service and management in the hospital perform well and have acted as a role model, a total of 219 volunteers were praised by the government agencies outside the hospital by the end of 2016. In 2013, a CMUH volunteer team took first place in health care sciences from the Taichung City Public Health Bureau, while in 2014 winning the   winner award in national volunteer teams of excellence.

The Social Work Office helps set up patient self-help groups, including the Yuan Yuan Care Association, the Bowel Disease Concern Group, etc.

 

The self-help groups aim to: