Hwaseong Hyohanggu Public Health Center and Five Local Universities Sign Agreement for "Learning Health Project"

On April 28, the Hyohanggu Public Health Center of Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province signed a business agreement to promote the "Learning Health Project" ("Geonbae Project") in collaboration with local universities offering health-related programs.

Officials from Hwaseong Special City Hyohang District Health Center and five universities are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement for the "Learning Health Project." Photo by Hwaseong City

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This agreement involves five local universities-Suwon University, Suwon Women's University, Jangan University, Hyupsung University, and Hwaseong University of Medical Science. Students majoring in Nursing, Health Management, Sports Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and other health-related fields will participate in community-based field activities linked to their coursework. These students will visit neighborhoods directly to provide health education, counseling, physical activity guidance, and nutrition education for residents, thereby expanding their academic expertise to contribute to community health promotion.

Under the agreement, the public health center will be responsible for overall project management, coordination with target communities, educational support, and administrative cooperation. Participating universities will be in charge of integrating the project into their curricula, managing students, and supporting field activities. Additionally, the two sides plan to jointly establish detailed operational systems, including adjustments to match academic schedules, team composition, frequency of educational sessions, and methods for field activities, with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of the project.

In particular, students will conduct comprehensive analyses of local population characteristics, health status, and living environments through field surveys. They will systematically investigate and assess environmental safety factors, including fall risk elements such as walking paths, stairs, slopes, lighting, and floor conditions both inside and outside the neighborhoods. Based on these findings, the public health center will work with the relevant towns, townships, and neighborhoods to identify improvement tasks for risk factors and establish a collaborative system to enhance environmental safety in line with local conditions.

Furthermore, students will provide residents with basic health counseling in person and operate health promotion programs tailored to residents' needs, such as chronic disease prevention and management, proper physical activity methods, and balanced dietary practices. The project aims to promote integrated health improvement activities that encompass both environmental enhancements and health education.

The "Learning Health Project" goes beyond simple health education by creating a virtuous cycle in which students' learning leads to resident health improvement and, in turn, to enhancements in the local environment. It is expected to contribute to building a sustainable foundation for health promotion through collaboration between schools and the local community.

Yoo Jongwoo, Director of Hyohanggu Public Health Center, said, "This agreement marks a meaningful starting point that not only cultivates local talent and promotes residents' health, but also advances improvements in community safety environments. Based on our partnership with universities, we will continue to expand health learning activities that reach out directly to residents."

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