# The Future Health Hub: A Cross-Border Model for Learning and Collaboration in Healthcare - Savonia AMK

> This article is part of the presentations related to the Future Health HUB and Erasmus+ SA-IS projects.

## Introduction
This article is part of the presentations related to the Future Health HUB and Erasmus+ SA-IS projects, delivered at the Health Education Without Borders: Innovation Through Collaboration conference held in Maputo on April 10, 2025.

In a rapidly evolving healthcare world, the Future Health Hub (FHH) model offers an innovative educational framework that redefines how students learn, collaborate, and make a real impact. Developed through global cooperation between institutions like Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and ISCISA (Mozambique), the FHH model blends hands-on experience with curriculum-based learning, empowering students to grow both professionally and personally.

The FHH project facilitates multicultural, community-oriented projects for healthcare students, offering both physical learning centers and a virtual e-learning platform at both universities. Using service design methodology, the FHH ensures that all student activities are curriculum- and evidence-based, bridging theory and practice to benefit both learners and the communities they serve.

## The FHH Philosophy
The Future Health Hub is both a learning platform and a mindset of collaboration and continuous improvement. It is built on the principle that students learn best by solving real problems in real communities.

At its core, the FHH model:
* Encourages multicultural teamwork across universities and countries
* Connects academic theory with community-driven healthcare projects
* Combines virtual and physical collaboration
* Focuses on evidence-based practices and reflection

## Service Design in Practice
Service design begins by identifying a challenge or problem, investigating it thoroughly to determine its core cause, and generating multiple possible solutions. The best option is then conceptualized as a service and tested in its real environment, often through several rounds of iteration and refinement until a practical, effective solution emerges.

Within the FHH project, service design has guided the creation and development of the model. It helps to reveal the stages of the service path within the model and streamline them in practice. Students have acted as users, testing the models and providing feedback for development. Teachers and guidance staff have worked alongside them in piloting activities. Students have also gathered and shared information from families involved in family counselling projects.

## The Four Phases of the FHH Model
The FHH model follows a clear, structured process consisting of four phases that guide every project from concept to completion:

### Phase 1: Identifying Project Partners
* Choose community partners with genuine healthcare needs
* Align project themes with academic goals and timelines
* Market opportunities to students and clients
* Set up communication channels and ensure ethical practices

### Phase 2: Preparing Student Projects
* Define goals, expectations, and milestones
* Prepare students through orientation and kickoff meetings

### Phase 3: Students Implement Projects
* Work in multicultural teams
* Apply evidence-based practices to deliver services
* Use digital tools to collaborate across borders
* Reflect and adapt during implementation

### Phase 4: Project Evaluation
* Evaluate impact and learning outcomes
* Gather client feedback via student-designed surveys
* Share results to improve future projects

## Visualizing the Model
The FHH model is presented visually to make it easier to understand. The diagram follows the Western left-to-right reading flow, with stages represented as areas of different sizes to illustrate the relationship between time spent and content covered. 

* **Phases 1 and 2:** Depict the initial situation and preparation, expanding like a flashlight beam as the direction becomes clearer.
* **Phase 3:** Shows students actively implementing the project, refining direction, and building competence.
* **Phase 4:** Involves evaluation, feedback, and identifying best practices, symbolized as a circular "pearl" of knowledge that can be revisited.

## Impact and Future Outlook
The FHH model is already in action in Kuopio, Finland. At the Savonia Wellness Center, more than 100 students each year from fields like nursing, midwifery, business, and tourism apply the model as part of their internships.

By combining structured learning with real service, the FHH:
* Equips students with skills that employers truly value
* Strengthens communities through direct engagement
* Promotes cultural exchange and international teamwork
* Prepares a new generation to lead with care and competence

## Authors
* **Marja Gröhn-Rissanen**, International Coordinator, Senior Lecturer, MSc, Rn. Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health care, marja-liisa.grohn-rissanen@savonia.fi.
* **Antti Kares**, Lecturer, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Department of Desing, antti.kares@savonia.fi
* **Salla Lommi**, Service coordinator of Savonia Wellness Center, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, salla.lommi@savonia.fi