Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, achieved success with Juwol Health Living Support Center and Wolsan Health Living Support Center receiving the Grand Prize and Encouragement Award, respectively, in the 'Health Living Support Center Operation Evaluation' hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute.
On the 29th, Nam-gu announced, "The two health living support centers in the district received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare and the President of the Korea Health Promotion Institute, along with a prize of 6 million KRW, in recognition of their contributions as community-based health management institutions providing various services for the healthy lives of local residents."
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute evaluated the operational performance of various projects carried out throughout 2023 at 92 health living support centers nationwide to discover best practices and expand community-level projects.
The evaluation areas comprehensively reviewed the appropriateness of staffing at health living support centers, community-based project implementation, resident participation, cooperation with local resources, project effectiveness, and sustainability through quantitative and qualitative assessments.
Juwol Health Living Support Center, based on health indicators and resident demand results in its service area, consulted with local schools to open playgrounds and operated the nighttime 'Eoullim Square Gymnastics' every Monday and Wednesday, gaining great popularity. It also introduced the 'Small Business Owners After-Work Dance Class' to manage the health of vendors at Mudeung Market, which received enthusiastic responses.
Additionally, the center operated a health support group and health council composed of residents, received positive reviews for running clubs to encourage health practice activities, and conducted training to cultivate health leaders.
Furthermore, last year, the center piloted the 'Building a Straight Body' project aimed at correcting spinal scoliosis posture for students at Bongju Elementary School, which was well received by parents. Based on this, the project expanded this year to Jangsan Elementary School and Jinnam Elementary School, earning favorable evaluations.
Wolsan Health Living Support Center collaborated with local community institutions and organizations such as Wolsan Elementary School, Mujin Middle School, the nonprofit organization Hwawolju, the Dementia Relief Center, Sajik-dong Administrative Welfare Center, Nam-gu Sports Association, Children's Meal Management Center, and Kkumteo Regional Children's Center to carry out various health promotion projects.
Programs that attracted government attention included the 'Circuit Exercise Class,' which builds muscle strength and performs aerobic exercise using ten types of equipment; the 'Dodam Dodam Health ON Class,' offering exercise and eye-level education for vulnerable children; Nordic walking programs reflecting residents' requests such as 'Let's All Walk Around the Neighborhood Once'; and the 'Line Dance Health Club.'
A Nam-gu official stated, "We made great efforts to identify community issues in detail from the planning stage together with residents to discover projects that provide practical help for resident health promotion," adding, "We will do our best to operate the health living support centers to achieve even greater growth in the future."
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