YOUR HEALTH IS HEARD,

the Health Station stays!

You have reasons to throw your hands in the air and show your relief, because the services at the Health Station for youth and students in Ås is continued! Your heart might be heavy after saying goodbye to your mother, you may have stumbled during the Buddy Week, or maybe you’ve been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease? No need to worry, you are in safe hands in Ås! After a turbulent autumn with a lot of uncertainty concerning the future of the health services for students at NMBU, it has been decided that the Health Station for youth and students in Ås is still with us, and the work of the municipality to increase the GP coverage is working.

Journalist: Anna Gjems French
Translator: Eva Weston Szemes
Photographer: Lars-Børge Waag Strømsvik

What is the Health Station?

For students at NMBU, there are mainly two services that should ensure a safe physical and mental life in Ås, namely the general practitioners and the Health Station for youth and students. The Health Station is a free service for all youths in Ås and students at NMBU who have paid the semester fee. It offers drop-in services around mental health, sexual health and lifestyle. Among other things, you can get help with contraceptive implants, being tested for STIs for free and help with mastering life and stress. The services are offered on the second floor of Tunveien 2, and is mainly a preventive, easy-to-access service for short-term, minor problems. For more serious health problems that need long-term follow-up, the general practitioner is an important safety net.

Getting a GP in Ås during your time as a student

Earlier, the waiting list for getting a GP in Ås has been long. The municipality head physician Ådne Dæhlin has good news for Tuntreet and encourages the students: This is a good opportunity to get a GP in Ås, use it. Dæhlin tells us that as many as 10 of 17 GPs have space for new patients, with around 1800 spaces in total. The municipality head physician emphasises the importance of having a GP where you live so that you can get the help you need when you need it. Even though Dæhlin encourages all students to formalize their move to Ås, he says it’s not required to be registered in the municipality where you have your GP, and that the municipality is responsible for providing adequate healthcare to everyone staying there. He says that the best healthcare can be provided if you have a GP who can provide follow-ups, continuity and refer you to other doctors if necessary.

A clouded autumn for the Health Station

Although the sun is shining on healthcare in Ås right now, there were clouds on the horizon for a long time. Last autumn, the municipality director was examining the agreement concerning the running of the Health Station between the municipality, NMBU and SiÅs to reduce the cost of the service. The conclusion was that the municipality would end the collaboration if SiÅs and NMBU would not carry a third of the cost each, and there had to be an age limit of 25. When the examination of the Health Station was reviewed in a hearing with the Municipal Board, the Board for Health and Upbringing agreed to the proposal. The current agreement was due to end in the summer, so what happened now?

Before the summer, there was a new meeting at the Municipal Board, where the Board for Health and Social Matters proposed a continuation of HFUS without an age limit. The municipality director justifies this with the fact that there would be no new collaboration agreement, had this age limit been put in place. Earlier, SiÅs has told Tuntreet that they would not pay for a health service that could not be used by all students, and this has been decisive. The municipality has decided that the cut in cost will be done by reducing the amount of employees.

When we ask the municipality head physician for his comment on this, he says he is happy that the service is continuing and that a preventive service like the Health Station is important. Still, he emphasizes that this is not sufficient as a health service in itself, it is a supplement. He reiterates the importance of getting a GP in Ås, not only for your own safety but also to ensure that the different services are used as intended. The emergency room is for acute problems, the Health Station is for quick and easy help and guidance, and that those who need medical attention and more regular follow-ups for their mental health should contact their GP.

The battle of the Health Station is won for now, so use it! Get tested for Chlamydia, have a chat about exam stress, and get a GP in Ås without going on the waiting list first.