Social Medical Corporation Asaka Hospital
Our hospital was established in March 1963 as “Asaka Hoyoen”. With “Love, Devotion, Harmony, and Innovation” as the basic principles, our mission is to “provide holistic and advanced medical, health, and welfare services for the sound mind and happiness of people in the community”. Departments at our hospital are: Department of Comprehensive Psychosomatic Medicine (Department of Psychiatry, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Child Psychiatry), Department of Neurosurgery, Department of Internal Medicine, and Dentistry. In the field of psychiatry, we handle a wide range of cases, such as developmental disabilities of children between preschool and the age of puberty, schizophrenia, depression, stress-related disorders, and dementia. We also perform hemodialysis and correction type electroconvulsive therapy with general anesthetic for people with psychiatric disorders.
We make a strong effort with our amenities with the aim of creating an environment where our patients can relax. In 2000, we received the Japan Institute of Healthcare Architecture Award. In addition to the organized examination structure, including MRI, CT, ultrasound, bone density, and quick blood test, etc., all the images have been computerized by introducing an ordering system in 2000 and an electronic health record system in 2005, with the aim of providing quality medical services. In 2002, we were certified by the Japan Council for Quality Health Care. Currently, we have 474 hospital beds in operation across 9 hospital wards. The functions are differentiated into the Emergency Psychiatric Ward, Stress Care Ward, Dementia Treatment Ward, Psychiatric Care Ward, Complications Ward, and so on. The number of employees is about 530. One of the characteristics of our hospital is that we have more than 100 paramedical staff members, such as mental health welfare professionals, occupational therapists, and clinical psychotherapists, etc., other than nurses and pharmacists. We are working on securing and developing quality human resources so that the necessary and appropriate medical, health, welfare, and care support can be effectively provided by teams organized in each specialized field.
The most notable characteristic of Asaka Hospital is that the hospital becomes the core organization with four corporations and one company (Social Welfare Corporation Asaka Aiikuen, Social Welfare Corporation Asaka Fukushikai, Incorporated NPO I Can, and Asaka Service Center Co., Ltd.) forming inclusive teams for each field and developing medical, health, welfare, and care services as Asaka Hospital Group.
1Inclusive Community Support Team
Based on the Optimal Treatment Project (OTP), our hospital has supported community living and a shift to living in communities for patients staying in hospital for an extended period since 2002. The Recovery Stage Ward, Outpatient Department, Daycare Center, Home-visit Nursing Station, and Incorporated NPO I Can, form the team that provides inclusive support including medical care, living support, social participation, and employment support for the patients’ self-realization. These activities are called the “Sasagawa Project” which received the “Psychiatric Encouragement Award” at the 112th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology held in June 2016 for its excellent medical practices.
2Inclusive Acute Stage Team
This team aims to function as a regional core hospital in the field of emergency psychiatric care. It is composed of members from different job categories all with the aim of providing quality integrated medical services in a combination of medication therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation. In order to achieve treatment effects in a short period of time based on the clinical path, staff members at the hospital from different job categories and the community support team collaborate with each other from the early stages to provide medication therapy and rehabilitation in the acute stage, and appropriate care management with the aim of early hospital discharge.
3Inclusive Stress Care Team
In addition to the Stress Care Ward and our satellite organizations: Sakuma Mental Health Clinic and Rework Daycare, this team has implemented the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to take measures for occupational mental health and operated the counseling room as Asaka Stress Care Center with the aim of providing specialized and integrated treatment for depression. The team comprehensively performs mental health prevention, early intervention, medical treatment, and reinstatement support for communities and companies.
4Inclusive Child Puberty Team
In order to establish an examination system in the field of child psychiatry which has had the highest level of need in the psychiatry field in the region in recent years, the team provides highly professional support to children through collaboration with their families, cities, schools, and kindergartens. The team is composed of the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic for Children, occupational therapists, clinical psychotherapists, and speech therapists at the hospital that provide rehabilitation programs and the General Development Support Center for Children with Disabilities Alba which provides long- and short-term residential care services, consultation support services, child daycare services, after school daycare services, and so on.
5Inclusive Elderly Stage Team
In addition to specialized treatment for symptoms and complications accompanying dementia, this team provides comprehensive medical and care services such as community living support and residential care, etc. Through collaboration not only with the Forgetfulness Clinic, Daycare for Patients with Severe Dementia, Dementia Treatment Ward, Complications Ward, Dialysis Center, Long-Term Care Health Facilities Keijuen, Home-visit Nursing, and Regional Comprehensive Support Center, but also with two special nursing homes for the elderly and one fee-based care home for the elderly managed by Asaka Fukushikai, a community-based support structure has been established. The team also considers the function of the community including measures for the aging of persons with disabilities and the creation of roles for persons with disabilities in an aging society.
6Inclusive Community Coexistence Team
Working toward the creation of a society where everyone can coexist and live happily, the entire Asaka Hospital Group has implemented the community coexistence project. We have developed a model project for working towards an inclusive society by creating places for employment support and interaction with the community through various food programs. The programs include activities at K Farm in Motomiya City (employment support, understanding of disabilities, renewable energy, and a farm restaurant using quality ingredients), management of the restaurant “Bar il centro” and the bakery “Buono Buono” in Asahi, Koriyama City, and the Italian confectionery factory “Dolce Buono” in Asaka-machi. We have also managed the “Hajimari Art Center” in Inawashiro-machi, which was established by renovating a 130-year-old sake brewery and holds exhibitions with the concept of Art Brut and of works created by persons with disabilities, in order to plan exhibitions and events, and to hold various workshops in cooperation with people in the community.
Features of Asaka Hospital Group
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From Tokyo Station 79 minutes by Shinkansen at the quickest
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The group has a medical corporation, two social welfare corporations, an NPO, and a limited company
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Building D has outpatient capabilities and an emergency ward
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A room in an emergency ward
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This farm is the basis for employment support and coexistence services.
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Restaurant”Bar il Centro”
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Museum with the concept of Art Brut