The history of the Armenian-American Wellness center has started since 1995 when thousands of women faced the same problem and had no idea about what mammography meant. With the efforts of the American benefactress Rita Balian and the Deputy of the National Assembly Hranush Hakobyan the Armenian-American Mammography University Center was developed which later, in 2002, was renamed “Armenian-American Wellness Center” Foundation. AAWC has a Satellite Clinic in the town of Gavar.
The Center’s mission is to save, prolong and improve the lives of people, to implement breast and cervical cancer prevention programs, bone fracture’s preventing programs using densitometry, and to provide primary health care services to ensure the good health and well- being of families. Armenian-American Wellness Center has the following departments: Radiology (Breast Imaging and Diagnosis; Bone Densitometry), Gynecology, Urology, Family Medicine, Surgery and Laboratory.
Statistics
AAWC is the first mammography project for Armenia. To date, about 6000 Armenian women have survived by efforts of the Center specialists. During 19 years of AAWC activity more than 429354 have been screened: Each year about 40 000 women come to pass screenings: Since the opening of the Center 229989 women have passed breast screening. 9303 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, there is a tendency of juvenation of cancer cases, 71 women up to 29 y.o. have been diagnosed with cancer. To date, 1235 men visitors have been screened at the Center.
International Cooperation
AAWC keeps building international cooperation with the leading clinics in America and Europe. In January 2015, Armen Kocharyan, the oncologist-surgeon of the center had attended a training course at the Medical Center in Yuta, USA. On June 18 th , the American oncologist Jay Harnes and an American Armenian plastic surgeon, prof. Artur Salibyan conducted a training with the Center specialists Armen Kocharyan and plastic surgeon Hovhannes Stepanyan on a special surgical operation in Armenia – nipple-sparing breast mastectomy and simultaneous implant reconstruction. On July 1-4, 2015, AAWC, jointly with the Embassy of Armenia in Germany and Yerevan State Medical University named after M. Heratsi organized visits of prof. Bernd Gerber from German Zludshtat Rostok Clinics and prof. Andre Faridi from Viavantes Am Urban clinics to Armenia. Within their visit, the two professors gave free consulting and implemented a number of surgical operations.
AAWC seeks to assist the vulnerable segment of population. Specialists of the Center visit Armenian marzes to perform free diagnostics for the population. During 2015 AAWC doctors made 20 regional visits and 1343 visitors have been screened and 1822 medical services provided.
The Center also provides Family Doctor and Psychologist services
Each year AAWC expands its services.ince April 2015 under the supervision of the Plastic surgeon the Center implements laser treatment of facial and body vessels, skin pigmentation, and spider veins by Vbeam Perfecta laser.
Since June 2015 the Center implements pre- and post- surgical rehabilitation therapy, medical massage and manual lymph drainage. Post-surgical rehabilitation activities are aimed to return a person to their natural life, from physical and psychological point of view.
