Sakarya University has established and maintained a formal collaboration with the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Health, a public health authority in Türkiye, through the Hospital School Project. This collaboration provides health and well-being support to children receiving hospital treatment at the Paediatric Oncology Department of Sakarya Training and Research Hospital (SEAH).
The programme combines university-based educational and social support with the healthcare environment. During the 2025 spring semester, the 13-week programme offered activities such as memory games, sports, music workshops, and educational games for children undergoing treatment. The programme continued during the 2025–2026 academic year with a further 10-week programme that included handicraft workshops, music performances, puppet activities, and creative imagination workshops.
The collaboration directly benefits children receiving medical treatment in a hospital setting by supporting their psychological well-being, social participation, motivation and continuity of educational and developmental activities during treatment. Sakarya University students and student societies actively contribute to the delivery of these activities in cooperation with the public health authority.
This is a sustained local and national collaboration between a university and a public health institution that provides direct health-related support for well-being to a vulnerable patient group.
Figure 1. Hospital School Project
Sakarya University has established a continuing collaboration with the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services, a public social services authority in Türkiye, through the “Sevgiye Engel Yok” (No Barrier to Love) project.
The collaboration is implemented at the Sakarya Day Care, Rehabilitation and Family Counselling Centre, providing social, well-being and rehabilitation-oriented support to individuals receiving care and services at the centre. The project has been implemented over two consecutive years, demonstrating a sustained institutional partnership rather than a one-time activity.
Figure 2. “Sevgiye Engel Yok” (No Barrier to Love) project.
During the 2025 spring semester, the programme delivered 19 activities involving Sakarya University students and student societies. Activities included art, music, photography, hand-skills, educational games, memory activities and other structured social and developmental activities. The collaboration continued during the 2025–2026 academic year with a further 10-week programme including music, theatre, educational games and recycling workshops.
The partnership supports the well-being, social participation, rehabilitation and quality of life of individuals receiving social and care services. University students contribute directly to programme delivery in cooperation with the public service institution.
This represents a local and national university–public service collaboration addressing the well-being and rehabilitation needs of a vulnerable community group.
Sakarya University collaborates with the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services, a public social services authority in Türkiye, through the “Bir Tatlı Huzur” (A Peaceful Sweetness) intergenerational programme.
Figure 3. “Bir Tatlı Huzur” (A Peaceful Sweetness) intergenerational programme.
The programme was implemented at Hendek Melek Nişancı Nursing Home as a 10-week university–public service collaboration involving university students and older adults receiving residential care. The programme aims to strengthen the health, well-being, social participation and quality of life of older adults.
Activities included ceramic workshops, wood-painting activities, information competitions and health screenings. These activities combined social interaction and participation with direct health-related support for older residents.
The collaboration enables Sakarya University students to work directly with older adults in a public residential care setting and contributes to their social and health-related well-being.
This represents a local and national collaboration between a university and a public social services institution, with direct benefits for older adults receiving institutional care.
Sakarya University collaborated with the Serdivan District Health Directorate, a public health authority in Türkiye, to deliver a mental health and suicide prevention awareness programme for university students, academic staff and administrative personnel.
The programme was delivered by a psychologist from the Mental Health Unit of the Serdivan Healthy Life Centre and focused specifically on suicide prevention among university students. The programme addressed mental health risks, warning signs, depression, suicide prevention, access to professional psychological support, referral mechanisms and the reduction of stigma associated with mental health.
The collaboration connects the university community directly with a public health service provider and increases awareness of available professional mental health services and referral pathways. It therefore contributes to mental health promotion, suicide prevention, early recognition of psychological risks and access to appropriate professional support.
Figure 4. Suicide prevention awareness programme for university students, academic staff and administrative personnel
This represents a national collaboration between a university and a public health authority addressing a significant public health and mental health issue among the university population.
Sakarya University established a formal international collaboration in the field of health and medical education with Samarkand State Medical University in Uzbekistan, a specialised medical university.
The institutional cooperation protocol provides a framework for academic exchange, joint scientific activities, short-term academic programmes and collaborative activities in the health field. The partnership connects Sakarya University with an international medical institution and creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, joint activities and cooperation in health and medical education.
The collaboration strengthens Sakarya University’s global engagement in the health sector by establishing an institutional partnership with a foreign medical university and creating a framework for sustained international cooperation.
This represents a global collaboration between a university and a medical university in the health field, extending Sakarya University’s health-related institutional partnerships beyond Türkiye.
Figure 5. Sakarya University established a formal international collaboration in the field of health and medical education with Samarkand State Medical University in Uzbekistan
Sakarya University supports access to healthcare through free on-campus medical services and institutional discount agreements with external healthcare providers. The university’s on-campus medical service is available free of charge to both university staff and students, helping them access healthcare support without direct service fees.
In addition, Sakarya University has established discount agreements with external providers, including dental hospitals, optical providers and hearing aid providers. These agreements enable university staff and their first-degree family members to access eligible healthcare services and health-related products at discounted rates, helping reduce out-of-pocket costs and improve access to dental care, vision care and hearing-related support.
The agreements and relevant protocols are publicly available on the university’s official website, providing transparent and verifiable evidence of the university’s arrangements with external providers. Together, the free campus medical service and the discount agreements demonstrate Sakarya University’s commitment to facilitating access to healthcare, supporting preventive health and well-being, and extending healthcare-related benefits to its staff, students and their families. The external agreements also demonstrate collaboration with healthcare and related service providers to improve access to healthcare services and products.
