Chonnam National University Hospital Designated as Gwangju Regional Environmental Health Center...Launching an Environmental Safety Net for Citizens' Health

National and Municipal Funding Secured Through 2030
Promotion of Prevention, Management, and Counseling-Education for Environment-Related Diseases

Chonnam National University Hospital has been designated as the Gwangju Regional Environmental Health Center. A region-based environmental health system is being launched to investigate and manage the impact of environmental hazards on citizens' health and to expand customized preventive services for vulnerable groups.

Exterior view of Chonnam National University Hospital.

The Gwangju City Government announced on the 25th that the Climate, Energy and Environment Bureau has designated Chonnam National University Hospital as the regional environmental health center in charge of the Gwangju area. An environmental health center is a specialized institution that scientifically investigates and studies the health impacts of environmental hazards, and carries out activities such as prevention and management of health damage, as well as education and public awareness.

With this designation, Chonnam National University Hospital will receive national and municipal funding for five years until 2030 to implement environmental health-related projects. The hospital plans to systematically investigate the health impacts of various environmental hazards, including environmental pollution and hazardous chemicals that may arise in daily living environments, and to provide the findings to citizens in the form of easy-to-understand health information and preventive guidelines.

In particular, the hospital will strengthen its proactive health protection function by operating customized counseling and education programs for sensitive groups that are vulnerable to environmental hazards, such as children and older adults. In the event that environmental health issues arise in the region, it will also play a role in minimizing health damage through prompt investigations and professional responses.

The Gwangju City Government plans to use the designation of the environmental health center as an opportunity to establish an environmental health policy foundation that reflects regional characteristics and to strengthen the system for preventing and managing environment-related diseases through cooperation with relevant institutions. It will also expand evidence-based administration by accumulating basic environmental health data and reflecting it in policy.

Lee Sangbae, Director of the Climate and Environment Bureau, said, "The designation of a regional environmental health center is an important turning point that enables us to protect citizens' health from environmental risk factors in a more systematic way," adding, "We will expand community-based investigations, research, and preventive projects to provide environmental health services that citizens can truly feel."