ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Through hard work, dedication and determination, the Armenian American Cultural Association (AACA) has sponsored and organized the numerous activities of the Armenian American Wellness Center (AAWC) for the past twelve years. Through AACA’s diligence, the Wellness Center has revolutionized women’s health care delivery in Armenia. Since its inception in April 1997 through September 2009, the Wellness Center’s far-reaching accomplishments include:

• Providing Primary Healthcare Services with an emphasis on women’s reproductive health.
• Screening between 40 and 80 patients per day, with the percentage of women seeking services at the Center increasing every year.
• Increasing the number of patients served annually from 1,085 patients in 1997 to 14,193 patients in 2009 (January through September).
• Serving 133,627 patients and providing 178,804 services:
  — 93,412 females ( including 500 women from neighboring countries and the international community in Armenia), and 306 males were provided with breast imaging and diagnosis services
  —53,240 of the females were first-time patients; 4,188 of them were diagnosed with breast cancer. This represents 7.8% of the first-time patients and equates to 1 in 13 women screened at the Center as having breast cancer.
  —Of the 306 screened male patients, 12 were diagnosed with breast cancer and 294 with benign conditions.
• Saving, prolonging and improving the lives of over 3,500 women through the early and accurate detection of their breast and cervical cancer using Western technology and expertise, as well as referrals for appropriate treatments.
• Conducting 170 Medical Outreach Missions free-of-charge in 74 remote towns and villages throughout Armenia, and one mission in Nagorno-Karabakh; providing 10,851 patients with 12,417 services, including breast and cervical screenings, and education on the importance of early detection, monthly breast self examinations (BSE) and annual clinical check-ups.
• Offering free services to individuals - over 25% of the Center’s patients - who cannot afford to pay the Center’s modest fees, which are subsidized by AACA.
• Addressing infertility, the Center has been instrumental in the birth of 59 “miracle babies” to couples who had lost hope as they struggled with this problem for 4-12 years. They were able to conceive through the treatment of their chronic, sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• Employing a staff of 36 and three consultants who all receive fair and reliable wages, and who work in a corruption-free environment with efficiency, transparency and accountability.
• Maintaining detailed and confidential medical records (electronic and paper) - based on Western standards - for each patient and for every visit and service performed.
  
• Receiving extensive medical and administrative training of its staff by US medical professionals during 52 Medical Exchanges and 10 Medical Missions (sponsored and organized by AACA), both on-site in Armenia and in the US.
• Emphasizing public education and awareness campaigns throughout Armenia for the early detection of diseases and the importance of preventive health care, which culminates in an Annual Health Walk—10 Health Walks held to date.
• Serving as a teaching center in Breast Health for medical students from Yerevan State Medical University and offering a six-month residency program in mammography to radiology graduates from Armenia’s National Institute of Health (NIH).
• Organizing 5 medical conferences with US medical professionals, the Armenian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Health in Armenia. Topics have included, “Medical Ethics in Armenia: Cancer Patients’ Right to Know the Truth.”
• Screening between 40 and 80 patients per day, with the percentage of women seeking services increasing every year - not the norm at other health care facilities in Armenia. Almost 50% of the patients seeking services at the Center are referred from other medical institutions and professionals in Armenia.
• Serving 113,000 patients (85,589 females and 279 males, including more than 500 patients from the neighboring countries and the international community in Armenia) and providing 170,748 services. Through its focus on early and accurate detection, the Center has improved, prolonged and saved the lives of many cancer patients by using Western technology and expertise and by making referrals for appropriate treatment.
• Conducting 162 Medical Outreach Missions in 71 remote centers throughout all 11 districts (marzes) in Armenia and 1 in Nagorno-Karabakh to 10,337 patients, providing free-of-charge breast and cervical screenings, as well as educating the public on the importance of early detection, monthly breast self-examinations and annual clinical check-ups.
• Addressing infertility, the Center has been instrumental in the birth of 55 “Miracle Babies” to couples who had lost hope as they struggled with this problem for 4-12 years. With the Center’s emphasis on the accurate diagnosis of their chronic, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), followed by the appropriate treatment of both the husband and the wife as recommended by the US Medical Advisory Board, the couples were able to conceive. Additionally, the Center uses Sperm Analyzer equipment (the only one in Armenia) to assist in the treatment of infertility.
• Employing a staff of 38 (17 medical professionals and 21 support and administrative services personnel) who all receive fair and reliable wages, and who work in a corruption-free environment emphasizing transparency, accountability and efficiency. The Center also has 3 local consultants (2 recognized oncologists and 1 bio-medical engineer, who was trained in the US) providing ongoing services.
• Providing extensive training of Armenian staff by US medical professionals, both onsite in Armenia and in the US, during 46 Medical Exchanges and 10 Medical Missions to Armenia. All these medical exchanges and missions have been sponsored and organized by AACA since 1997 and have been co-sponsored by USAID since 2000.
• Serving as a teaching center in Breast Health for medical students from Yerevan State Medical University. The Center is also the only institution in Armenia that offers a 6-month residency program in mammography, which stresses imaging and diagnosis for early detection of diseases, to the 2-year radiology specialists graduating from the National Institute of Health of Armenia.
  

The Wellness Center has worked diligently to create and sustain a clean, (hygienic, sanitary) cordial and welcoming environment for both its patients and staff. It strives to ensure transparency in all its operations and to make accountability and responsibility to both its patients and its donors high priorities. This dedication - providing high quality medical services to its patients and the caring approach of its medical team - has won the trust of the public and the respect of the medical community.