Healthy Busan City! ... Symposium on Frailty Prevention 'Health Up (UP) Project' Held

On February 29th at 2 PM, Busan City held the Health UP Project Symposium at the City Hall International Conference Hall.

Health Up Business Symposium.

This symposium was organized to demonstrate the city's commitment to promoting health enhancement projects and to explore the development direction and effective operation plans for the Health UP Project, a frailty prevention initiative.

The Health UP Project is an innovative strategy provided by 75 community health centers conducting local health promotion activities, targeting citizens aged 65 and older. It offers programs such as exercise prescriptions and meal plans based on physical function assessments (frailty screening tests), depression screening and linkage with related organizations, and support for restoring social networks.

Launched last year, this project aims to address social issues in Busan, a super-aged society, and to enable Busan citizens to live healthier and more vibrant lives.

The symposium proceeded with keynote presentations followed by expert discussions. Notably, during the event, the city signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four regional rehabilitation hospitals?Keunsol Hospital, Work Rehabilitation Medicine Hospital, Parkside Rehabilitation Medicine Hospital, and Haeundae Happiness and Sharing Hospital?and one private company, ServiceTop, pledging to contribute more closely to citizens' health promotion through public-private cooperation, adding significant meaning to the occasion.

More than 200 citizens participated in the symposium alongside project stakeholders, reflecting high public interest.

The four regional rehabilitation hospitals are Keunsol Hospital, Work Rehabilitation Medicine Hospital, Parkside Rehabilitation Medicine Hospital, and Haeundae Happiness and Sharing Hospital, and the private company is ServiceTop.

The keynote presentations featured Professor Yoon Jong-ryul from Hallym University College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics and Yoon Tae-ho, Director of the City’s Health City Project Support Group. Professor Yoon presented on "Physical and Mental Health Promotion through Frailty Prevention Projects."

Director Yoon Tae-ho presented the vision of the Health UP Project under the theme "Busan Moving Toward Health UP Project Where No One Is Lonely or Sick."

Director Yoon particularly explained that by reflecting the strengths of the city’s community health centers and training resident health advisors to care for each other, all Busan citizens can become both beneficiaries and providers of this project.

The subsequent discussion was chaired by Professor Hwang In-kyung of Busan National University’s Department of Preventive Medicine, with panelists including Professor Shin Myung-jun of Busan National University’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kim Jong-mok, Director of Dongnae District Health Center, Park In-seon, Director of Parkside Rehabilitation Medicine Hospital, and Park Doo-young, Director of the City’s Health Policy Division.

They engaged in a lively discussion on the development direction of the Health UP Project.

At the event, Lee So-ra, Director of the City’s Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “The Health UP Project goes beyond a simple health promotion program. Centered on community health centers, it provides comprehensive support encompassing cooperation with various welfare institutions and hospitals in the community to alleviate depression and strengthen social networks, thereby enhancing individual health and transforming Busan into a vibrant healthy community.” She added, “Our city will continue efforts to secure sustainability for project stabilization, strengthen publicity, and improve project quality to create a healthier and more vibrant Busan.”