National Pukyong University and Haeundae District Join Forces to Support Local Residents with Chronic Diseases

Agreement Signed to Support Chronic Disease Patients in the Local Community

National Pukyong University (President Bae Sanghoon) and the Haeundae District Office of Busan (District Mayor Kim Seongsu) signed an agreement on September 17 to support the nutrition and dietary management of medically vulnerable groups in the region.

Ha Myungshin, Executive Vice President for External Affairs (second from left), and Kim Seongsu, District Mayor (third from left), are taking a commemorative photo after the agreement. Photo by National Pukyong University

This agreement was established to lower the rate of hospital readmissions and support healthier lives for households with chronic illnesses among recipients of medical benefits, by improving their dietary habits.

From September to December, Haeundae District plans to provide customized meal plans and healthy cooking education to district residents with chronic diseases who are recipients of medical benefits, through the "Healthy Table at Home" program.

In particular, this project is being promoted in connection with the Capstone Design course of the Department of Food and Nutrition at National Pukyong University, which is supported by the RISE Project Group (Regional Innovation-led University Support System). Student teams will visit the homes of participants to conduct meal analysis and dietary counseling, and will provide personalized meal plans for each individual.

Ha Myungshin, Executive Vice President for External Affairs at National Pukyong University (Head of the RISE Project Group), stated, "This is a valuable opportunity for students to apply their academic knowledge in the field, a meaningful activity that contributes to the local community, and will be significant for the participating students as well."

With this agreement, National Pukyong University plans to actively utilize the university’s expertise and human resources to help solve local community issues, and will continue to pursue various regional cooperation projects, including the establishment of a collaborative system among local government, industry, academia, and research institutes.