PRESS RELEASE
Armenia Fund USA, Inc
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 301
New York, NY 10038
Contact: Karine Manukyan
Tel: 212-689-5307
Fax: 212-689-5317
E-mail: info@armeniafundusa.org
Web:

ARMENIA FUND USA FORGES STRATEGIC HEALTH CARE PARTNERSHIPS

NEW YORK, New York – Armenia Fund USA has taken critical steps to enhance
and modernize health care and medical education in Armenia and Karabakh with
the establishment of a new entity called HyeBridge Telehealth.
The first step involved pioneering a pilot project in Telemedicine. In 2008,
Armenia Fund USA arranged for the satellite connection and equipment
installation that would allow, via electronic telecommunications, the
exchange of medical information between Armenia’s Yerevan State Medical
University (YSMU) and health professionals practicing in remote regions of
Armenia and Karabakh.
The undeniable success of the pilot session convinced Armenia Fund USA that
"telemedicine is an effective and cost-efficient driver of improved medical
outcomes in Armenia", as Irina Lazarian, Armenia Fund USA Executive
Director, described it.
Telemedicine includes such applications as videoconferencing, transmission
of still images, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical
education and even nurse-advisory call centers. "For Armenia and Karabakh,
this technology is next best thing to in-person consultations and on-premise
clinical and classroom training," noted Ms. Lazarian.
To that end, Armenia Fund USA officially branded the telemedicine initiative
"HyeBridge Telehealth", an entity designed to function like a subsidiary of
the Armenia Fund USA organization.
Under the HyeBridge Telehealth banner, a demonstration was presented in July
2009 at the Tenth Annual Armenian Medical World Congress in New York City.
Professional attendees gathered for a real-time telemedicine session
transmitted from YSMU in Armenia. Four difficult patient cases were
consulted with the use of the electronic technology. The response was so
enthusiastic that the American-Armenian Health Professionals Organization
(AAHPO) announced, at the Congress banquet, their decision to join HyeBridge
Telehealth as a principal partner. Its involvement is consistent with the
AAHPO mission: to improve healthcare awareness and increase disease
prevention while providing medical support and education locally as well as
in Armenia.
The collaboration between the Armenia Fund, eastern affiliate and AAHPO
doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists practicing in NY, NJ and CT,
combines the world-class expertise of medical specialists in the U.S. with
the vast field experience that Armenia Fund USA possesses in program
implementation for Armenia and Karabakh. At the same time, YMSU manages
scheduling of videoseminars and videoconsultation in Armenia and provides
guidance and advice on telemedicine content design, based on the subject
areas of greatest interest and most urgent need among professional
counterparts in Armenia and Karabakh.
Finally, this past October, HyeBridge Telehealth applied for and was granted
membership in the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), which extends
member rights to all HyeBridge Telehealth partners: Armenia Fund USA, AAHPO
and YSMU. This affiliation promises to significantly expand global health
care networking opportunities for HyeBridge Telehealth members as well as
provide access to resources designed to advance Telemedicine in developing
nations, such as Armenia and Karabakh.
As a new member, HyeBridge Telehealth has been invited to participate at the
ATA Annual Conference scheduled for May 2010 in San Antonio, TX. In
addition, the head of ATA has agreed to participate, via videoconference, in
selected telemedicine sessions that the YSMU has organized around its 90th
Anniversary events and professional conferences from October 6-11 in
Armenia.
"By forging strategic partnerships between medical professionals in the
diaspora and Armenia, supported by technologies that facilitate the instant
exchange of up-to-date information, Armenia Fund USA has solidified its role
in helping to bring Armenian medical practices up to world-class standards
and providing quality care to all communities," stated Raffi Festekjian,
Chairman of Armenia Fund USA.
Any individuals, professional groups or institutions interested in
participating in HyeBridge Telehealth are invited to contact Irina Lazarian
at 212-689-5307.
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ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: founded in 1992, was one of the first of Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s 17 international affiliates and serves constituents in
all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental,
nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents.
Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 17 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh. The Fund has adopted a policy to go "Beyond Bricks and Mortar" to
provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.