SATELLITE CLINIC

In July 2003, AACA established a Satellite Clinic in the town of Gavar (60 miles northeast of Yerevan in the Lake Sevan Region) to address the exorbitant rate of breast abnormalities there - among the highest in the country - targeting a remote and underserved population of over 200,000 people.

To provide essential services to those who could not afford travel to the main Center in Yerevan, an old 2-room garden house was extensively renovated and transformed into a 10-room modern health care facility. Earlier in 2003, AACA had invited a doctor (internist) from Gavar to do her US training in Family Medicine with Dr. Vicken Poochikian of Washington, DC - who also traveled to Armenia to establish (in addition to breast imaging and basic gynecology) the Clinic’s Family Medicine practice.

In September 2005, working closely with Salpy Akaragian, RN, MN, FIAN, of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the Wellness Center launched Health Fairs for Healthy Lifestyles at the Gavar Satellite Clinic for the population of the Lake Sevan Region - providing free check-ups, ultrasound screenings and referrals to all members of the family.