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Building Healthier Communities through Resident Leadership: Busan City Strengthens Community-Based Health Management with "HAHA Village Health Centers" as Local Hubs

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it is advancing a community-based, prevention-centered health management model through its "HAHA Village Health Center" initiative.

• ●"HAHA Village Health Centers," named after Happy Aging, Healthy Aging, aim to provide sustainable, community-based health management services, located conveniently near residents.

• ●The initiative goes beyond offering simple health programs by fostering resident-led health activities, building social networks, nurturing health leaders, and supporting health-focused small groups, thus promoting a village-centered culture of health practice.

• ●Busan started with a pilot project called "Healthy Bansong" in 2007, transitioned to the "Village Health Center" system in 2016, and has since expanded its initiatives.
  In 2024, the "Health UP" program was launched across all village health centers, and in 2025, it introduced the "HAHA Health Partner" project to connect elderly job creation efforts with frailty prevention and everyday community health care.

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Village Health Council: A Resident-Led Governance Model

The city has been working with the "Village Health Council" to empower residents to address health issues themselves and maintain healthy communities.

• ●The "Village Health Council" is a civic-government collaborative body that monitors and discusses health-related matters at the village level and reviews health programs and services provided by the Village Health Centers.

Category	Description
Composition	Open to residents and stakeholders interested in community health (residents + government officials + academic partners)
Size	10 to 20 members, with a majority being residents
Role	Identify health issues, review and discuss plans and execution of Village Health Center projects, and promote local health initiatives

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On April 23, 65 community representatives from the Village Health Councils participated in a workshop titled "Building Healthy Communities Led by Residents."

• ●The training aimed to help the council members understand regional health challenges and reflect on their roles in revitalizing the council’s activities.

• ●Main programs included:
  ▲ Sharing Busan’s health indicators and current health disparities
  ▲ Overview of the Village Health Center initiative and future directions
  ▲ Discussion on the necessity and significance of resident-led health activities
  ▲ A case study presentation on the Healthy Village Council in Chilgok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do
  ▲ Resident discussions on "Our Roles" in activating the health councils.

• ●Through these activities, both city officials and resident representatives reaffirmed that the Village Health Councils should not remain advisory bodies but become engines of real community transformation.

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Lee So-ra, Director-General of Busan’s Citizen Health Bureau, commented,
"The HAHA Village Health Center initiative is not simply a government project but a community-driven health model nurtured through residents' interest and participation.
We will continue to actively support efforts that embed resident-led health activities naturally into daily life."