| Name: | Eva-Lena Gästrin |
| Year of birth: | 1979 |
| County: |
West Uusimaa |
| Town: | Espoo |
| Title: | Registered Nurse, member of Regional Council |
| Email: | egastrin@gmail.com |
Member in:
Eva-Lena
Gästrin
West Uusimaa
"In good hands"
I am a local politician from Espoo. I have been a member of the city council since 2017 and the regional council since 2022. I live in Viherlaakso with my teenage son. By profession, I am a nurse and I also have a long career as a swimming instructor.
I have worked for good healthcare and education for our residents. Particularly close to my heart is a safe school where students and teachers thrive. For the past four years, I have been the chairperson of the Svenska rum committee, which is responsible for early childhood education, schools (grades 1-9 and high school), youth work, and Arbis in Swedish. It is important that we ensure that class sizes do not become too large and that there are enough safe adults in our schools.
It is important that we receive the right care at the right time, preferably as close to the resident as possible. We should not privatize public healthcare but should invest in providing the service ourselves. Every resident should be able to contact their health center and also have a designated personal doctor or care team.
Important political topics
Accessible health care
We need to improve accessibility in healthcare. It is important that one can quickly contact their health center if they are sick. Every resident should have their own doctor/care team that ensures the patient receives the right care and is treated well.
We should offer care close to the resident. Some services can be managed remotely, but the resident should always have the option to visit a local clinic if they wish.
Safe elderly care
It is important that our elderly are in good health and receive the services they need.
Every elderly should be able to decide whether he/she lives at home or in a service home. Our elderlies should not have to worry about not managing on their own where they live but should receive the help they need.
In home care, we need to invest in the staff so that caregivers enjoy their work and stay in the same unit for a long time. In my work in home care, I have noticed that most people become very unhappy when different people come for home visits every day.
Mental Health
Many children and young people today suffer from anxiety and other mental health issues. Many have difficulty attending school.
It is important that we have functioning low-threshold services for our children and young people. Many challenges are such that the student can receive help, for example, at school without a referral to specialized healthcare.
We need to invest in student welfare so that all our schools have a functioning student welfare team with a doctor, nurse, counselor, and psychologist. Additionally, we need to invest in preventive work such as outreach youth work and anti-bullying efforts.