ANONYMOUS FOUNDATION DONATES $250,000 FOR ARMENIAN AMERICAN WELLNESS CENTER
By Cynthia Bosnian And Gail Howard
s-foundation-donates-250000-for-armenian-american- wellness-center/
Jun 5, 2009
WASHINGTON-A California-based Foundation has generously donated
$250,000 to the Armenian American Cultural Association (AACA) for
its humanitarian project in Yerevan, Armenia – the Armenian American
Wellness Center (AAWC or Wellness Center).
Maria Princi, AACA Board member, said, "AACA Honorary Chair, Donna
Evans (wife of former US Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans) and I
were delighted to meet the Trustees of the Foundation and learn of
their keen interest in supporting the Wellness Center with their
generous donation. During our meeting, they stressed the value of
education in any successful endeavor and they were happy to learn
that the Wellness Center, from day one, has made its core mission
the education of the public, its staff, and the medical community of
Armenia. We are grateful to have been brought together by Dr. Mihran
Agbabian, founder and first President of the American University of
Armenia, and his wife Elizabeth, long-time friends and supporters of
the Wellness Center.
Commenting on their recent visit to the Wellness Center,
members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees noted, "Despite the
construction/renovation that was underway, the Center was a very
beautiful and rewarding site to see. We realized how important it
is to Armenia, especially to its women. The Center has made great
strides in educating women about taking care of, and standing up
for themselves. It has also promoted public awareness in preventive
healthcare through its educational campaigns."
The Foundation’s gift has been designated for the construction of the
Center’s expanded ground floor (part of the building’s multi-million
dollar renovation/construction and seismic reinforcement), which will
ultimately house the Center’s expanded Radiology Department.
Elizabeth Agbabian, noted, "Vartkess and Rita Balian had the
vision and foresight to start a Wellness Center for the women of
Armenia. Thousands of women have been screened and many lives have
been saved. We have witnessed this vital service from its inception,
and are amazed how the Wellness Center is accessible to all women,
irrespective of their financial capability." Dr. Mihran Aghbabian
continued, "During many trips to Armenia, I have visited the Wellness
Center. What started as a noble idea became reality – helping women
through medical screenings and education. In my view, the uniqueness of
the Wellness Center in Armenia is due in large part to the availability
of Western equipment to the medical and technical staff of the Center.
Additionally, the staff – both medical and administrative – has
received training on-site in Armenia by American medical professionals
and in top-notch medical institutions in the U.S.
The Wellness Center was established by AACA in 1997 to address the
dire need for the early and accurate detection of breast cancer in
Armenia which was, and still is, the leading cause of cancer deaths
among the country’s women. In addition to promoting its core mission,
i.e., early detection through screenings and self-monthly examination
and educating the public on the importance of preventive health care
and early detection, the Wellness Center introduced basic gynecology
services and pathology laboratory services in June 2001, family
medicine in June 2003, and bone density screening in October 2006.
During its development stages, with the assistance of the governments
of the United States (through its USAID assistance programs) and
the Republic of Armenia (through its donation of the building),
AACA envisioned the Wellness Center as a Regional Primary Health
Care facility based on Western standards of medical services, which
would provide on-site quality diagnosis and treatment (whenever
possible). These services would be accessible to all Armenians,
as well as to all other citizens of the neighboring countries. This
outreach effort would foster understanding and compassion among people
in conflict, and hopefully would promote renewal and the much-needed
peace in the Caucasus Region.
The Wellness Center creates awareness of health issues and promotes
its screening services through the media, lectures, health fairs,
distribution of literature, medical outreach missions and annual
health walks.
Produced in conjunction with AACA, the Wellness Center distributes
thousands of health promotion pamphlets each year. These stress the
importance of early detection for breast and cervical cancer via annual
screenings and mammograms, monthly Breast Self Examinations (BSEs),
and annual clinical check-ups. The Center also emphasizes healthy
lifestyle choices relating to nutrition, exercise, blood pressure,
cholesterol, diabetes, and anti-smoking through the dissemination of
this information.
For the past twelve years, the Wellness Center has observed October as
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, organizing many cultural, scientific
and literary events. The highlight of these events is the Annual
Health Walk through the streets of Yerevan, which has become a day to
celebrate women’s health. The Walk attracts over 3,000 participants
each year, including more than 500 school children, who join AAWC’s
staff in reminding their mothers to take care of their own health
as they do for their families. As a result of these activities,
more and more women, age 40 and over, are visiting the Center for
their first mammogram and for subsequent annual mammograms. Hence,
breast cancer in Armenia is being detected and diagnosed in earlier
stages allowing more possibilities for treatment and cure.
>>From its inception, AACA has stressed the importance of education. In
addition to the ongoing health education provided to its patients
and the general public, the Wellness Center has signed a program
agreement with Yerevan State Medical University to teach its first
and second year medical students about breast health in general and
breast imaging and diagnosis in particular. The Wellness Center also
has a six-month residency program for the radiology graduates from
the National Institute of Health of Armenia.
Since 1997 through September 2009, AACA has sponsored and organized
47 Medical Exchanges between US medical professionals from seven
major university hospital centers and the Wellness Center staff,
providing on-site training in Armenia as well as advanced training
in US hospitals. Ten Medical Missions have also been conducted
during this time. Renowned specialists in the fields of radiology,
cytopathology and family medicine have traveled to Armenia to train the
Wellness Center physicians and to present lectures in their respective
disciplines to the staff of other hospitals and medical centers.
The renovation/construction and seismic reinforcement of the expanded
Wellness Center has been financed by AACA through its Armenian-American
grassroots and major donors, individual and/or family foundations,
and two grants from USAID through its American Schools and Hospital
Abroad (ASHA) Division. Despite these difficult economic times, AACA
is grateful for the ongoing assistance of its donors and is hopeful
that the Armenian American community will continue to support the
work of this vital project.
For more information on the Wellness Center and its US sponsor, visit
, or e-mail [email protected]. Please make donations
payable to AACA and mail to: 1300 Crystal Drive, Suite 1504, Arlington,
VA 22202.