​MEDIA RELEASE

Changi General Hospital and South East CDC Unveil ‘Circle of Care @ South East’ – Expanding Community Care Support in South East District

Singapore, 22 February 2025 – In light of evolving demographics and changing community needs, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and South East Community Development Council (South East CDC) are expanding their joint community care network under the Neighbours for Active Living Programme (Neighbours). Today, CGH and SECDC unveiled the expanded volunteer befriending programme, now known as ‘Circle of Care @ South East’, to drive health literacy and help more residents to get well, keep well, and age well within their communities.

Expanding the reach of care

Circle of Care @ South East builds on the success of the Neighbours programme pioneered by CGH and SECDC, which has supported seniors with complex health-social needs since 2013. This was achieved through a holistic, person-centred approach that integrates healthcare and social support services to improve health outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions and enhance the quality of life for seniors. 

With the launch of Circle of Care @ South East, the expanded programme aims to build a more activated and empowered community for residents to take ownership of their health and wellness by:

• Extending support beyond seniors to more residents
• Expanding volunteer training beyond befriending to equip them as Community Health Champions
• Fostering deeper community collaborations to create more skill-based volunteering opportunities
• Leveraging the Kampung Eunos Network (KEN) to enhance care collaborations

To serve a wider range of beneficiaries, CGH and South East CDC have strengthened their partnership with an enhanced scope for volunteers. CGH plans to scale up volunteer training through a “train-the-trainer” approach that will enable knowledge transfer and create a multiplier effect in driving health literacy in the community. In activating and empowering volunteers as ‘Community Health Champions’, they will be equipped with essential knowledge in areas such as diet and nutrition, exercise, and mental wellness to better support residents' health journeys and help them keep well at home. 

“Over the past decade, Neighbours has provided personalised and placed-based care to more than 14,000 seniors in 18 communities in eastern Singapore through an innovative and integrated care model and strong collaborations with 70 community partners, a testament to CGH’s longstanding legacy of trusted care for our patients and our community. CGH will continue to strengthen efforts together with South East CDC and more partners, and enhance health literacy to activate and empower more residents and volunteers to take charge of their health and wellbeing for a healthier Singapore,” Clinical Professor Ng Kee Chong, Chief Executive Officer, Changi General Hospital. 

There will be opportunities for volunteers to contribute their area of knowledge and skills, in addition to befriending. For example, volunteers can support community outreach efforts through the organisation of health initiatives and events and contribute towards health education. This sustainable model fosters long-term community engagement, ensuring that vital health knowledge is shared, practised, and sustained within neighbourhoods—ultimately building a more informed and health-conscious society, enhancing the overall impact of Circle of Care @ South East.

“Circle of Care @ South East embodies what South East CDC has always strived to build, a caring and connected community,” said Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman, Mayor of South East District. “As we expand the volunteer programme, we are leveraging the Kampung Eunos Network (KEN) to deepen community involvement and support by streamlining volunteer management and activation. KEN will onboard additional social service agencies to collaborate in serving the seniors and other beneficiaries, ensuring they live healthily and age gracefully.”  

Honouring volunteers’ impact

To celebrate the programme’s volunteers and their impact, Mayor Fahmi Aliman also hosted this year’s Appreciation Day, themed ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’. Over 900 volunteers have been trained in the last 13 years to provide companionship, monitor health, and assist with essential tasks.  so that they could check in on her regularly, help to remind her of her medications, medical appointments, and provide emotional support and companionship. 

One of the seniors who have benefited from this programme is Mdm Mahhizon, who was frequently admitted to the hospital and had multiple chronic medical conditions in addition to living alone. The Neighbours Wellbeing Coordinators (WBCs) linked her with a volunteer, Mdm Salmiah. 

Mdm Salmiah was inspired by the dedication of the WBCs and the volunteer in taking care of her late husband. Wanting to help others in need, she joined the programme in 2016. “Being a volunteer with the programme has been an incredibly rewarding journey,” said Mdm Salmiah.  “While helping Mdm Mahhizon with her health and wellbeing for eight years, we have forged a friendship between us. From checking in on her regularly, reminding her on her medications and medical appointments to providing emotional support and companionship, we are helping seniors like Mdm Mahhizon to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. Mdm Mahhizon has become a companion to me, and I am thankful that Circle of Care @ South East has brought us together through a meaningful cause.”

Unveiling of the Circle of Care @ South East logo by (from left to right) Clin Assoc Prof How Choon How, Chairman, Division of Continuity Care, Changi General Hospital and Director, SingHealth Office of Regional Health, CGH Campus; Assoc Prof Siau Chuin, Chairman Medical Board, Changi General Hospital; Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman, Mayor of South East District; Clin Prof Ng Kee Chong, Chief Executive Officer, Changi General Hospital; Mr Roy Chew, General Manager, South East Community Development Council.

Mdm Mahhizon, a programme beneficiary and Mdm Salmiah, the volunteer paired with her, became close companions after meeting through the programme.

Group photo of the Neighbours for Active Living programme team, along with volunteers and beneficiaries at the Neighbours Volunteers’ Appreciation Day

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