Sacheon City Launches 'Sacheon Happy Mind Relief Bus,' First Operation in Gyeongnam

Promoting Mental Health Improvement for Sacheon Citizens

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The ‘Sacheon Happiness Mind Relief Bus,’ designed to soothe the anxious hearts of Sacheon citizens and relieve various stresses, has finally set off. It is the first of its kind among local governments in Gyeongnam Province.

This Mind Relief Bus aims to prevent stress, including common depression experienced by anyone, and provides on-site crisis response and trauma prevention counseling in the event of disasters.

Additionally, during normal times, it visits residents in need of mental health services to provide psychological support directly. The Mind Relief Bus, a 15-seater van remodeled at a cost of about 110 million KRW, will travel around various local areas such as villages, workplaces, schools, and traditional markets two to three times a week to reach residents in need.

Gyeongnam Sacheon-si Mind Comfort Bus.

The first departure point of the Sacheon Happiness Mind Relief Bus, with a total of four people on board including three mental health welfare center specialists and one driver, was the Sacheon Fire Station 119 Rescue Team. On that day, the 119 rescue workers filled out questionnaires and measured brain stress through EEG tests under the guidance of the visiting psychological support Mind Rescue Team members.

They then received various psychological support counseling services, including in-depth consultations from mental health professionals such as clinical psychologists, nurses, and social workers.

Firefighter Seo Seong-ho said, “I usually experience a lot of stress while working at scenes with frequent dispatches, but today, by measuring my stress and receiving psychological counseling, I was able to understand the level of stress I have and how to manage it well.”

Mayor Park Dong-sik personally boarded the ‘Sacheon Happiness Mind Relief Bus’ to experience stress measurement and various psychological support services, demonstrating hands-on administration.

On that day, the mayor’s brain condition score was quite low, and brain stress was very high, indicating significant concerns about the establishment of the Aerospace Administration Sacheon and the reorganization of city bus routes.

Fortunately, the autonomic nervous system age was 60 years, and heart health and physical vitality were found to be good, showing no health problems.

Mayor Park said, “For Sacheon to become a happy city, above all, there should be no cases where citizens suffer from depression or stress,” adding, “That is why we started the Sacheon Happiness Mind Relief Bus project, the first visiting service among local governments in Gyeongnam Province.”

Sacheon City plans to operate the Mind Relief Bus on a trial basis until February and then, from March to December, actively provide psychological support services by visiting places where mental health services are needed.