Today we started off the morning meeting with some of the Nurses who work for “Sykepleie På Hjul” or “Nurses on Wheels”. They travel by van and provide active addicts with clean supplies for using, while focusing on damage reduction. This morning, we explored the van they drive around in, which carries all of their supplies and materials required to help this population. A major health concern for this population is infection, so these nurses provide sterile equipment such as needles, syringes, filters, and pipes for them to use. They also provide wound care for those that need it and can make referrals to hospitals for those that need more acute care. Additionally, they provide a safe place for them to dispose of their needles after use. The nurses estimate they get back 70% of the needles they give out. It was obvious these nurses were passionate about what they do and care for those they take care of. They discussed with us how this population receives a lot of stigma and degrading from most everyone else and they want to make sure they provide a safe, judgment-free space for them to help them with harm reduction. We felt this organization directly correlates to the good health and well-being Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) since they are providing health care services to those who are oftentimes neglected and are actively working on harm reduction for this community. We were so thankful for this opportunity to interact and ask questions with these nurses!
Once we finished learning about the Nurses on wheels outreach, we headed to the Norwegian Folk Museum to learn more about Norway’s cultural history. Here they had multiple exhibits that dated back to the 1500’s. We were able to see traditional folk clothing, art and explore rural homes that used to serve as farmsteads. We also got to learn more about the Sami, who are indigenous people that have a rich history throughout Norway. Once we finished at the museum, we went to explore a local National Park in Oslo known as Dronningberget. We got to see the beautiful scenery outside of the city center and explore the local coastlines.
