Support the Nor Hachen Clinic
Description
The town of Nor Hachen is located in Armenia’s Kotayk Region. Approximately 8,400 people call this community home. Nor Hachen has a fully staffed polyclinic with three pediatricians and five family medicine doctors that serve the medical needs of the Nor Hachen community, schools, and outlying villages. The total service area of the Clinic is almost 13,000 people. Nor Hachen Polyclinic provides primary care, ambulance service and some specialty services. Many of the doctors at the center also work in Yerevan as Nor Hachen’s proximity to the city is about 30 minutes away. The medical center lacks some basic equipment that prevents it from successfully serving its patients.
Nor Hachen Polyclinic with Med Aid Armenia aims to achieve their mission of bringing western standards of medical care to the community. This will be done with evidence-based medicine, screening programs and preventive care practices. This will achieve improved health outcomes coupled with efficient use of resources to provide a sustainable model of care delivery.
The Nor Hachen Polyclinic operates on sparse resources, and mostly in the form of outdated and decrepit equipment carry-over from the Soviet-era. Care delivery at Nor Hachen is also mostly Soviet-era style, unlike some newer clinics in the capital, Yerevan. The clinic operates on a single payer system with the option of fee-for-service.
Specialty services available include cardiology, HNS, ophthalmology, neurology, gastroenterology, OB/GYN and minor surgical procedures. Some of these specialists are available several times a week. Limited laboratory and imaging services available hamper the clinic staff ability to provide quality and complete care, necessitating referral out for the services at cost to the patient for significantly more, and often preventing the patient from getting the care needed. The clinic is eager for basic resources and developing improved knowledge in delivering care.
Over the last 3 years, Med Aid Armenia has developed a working relationship with the staff at the Polyclinic. Spending more time at the clinic, we are able to see firsthand the struggles of care delivery and an inefficient system. The remainder of Armenia is also struggling with its health care, especially primary care, notably those areas outside of Yerevan.
What makes Nor Hachen unique is its location, the size of population it serves, and the open-minded eager staff committed to learn and improve. The clinic’s 30-minute drive distance from Yerevan gives relatively ease of access: Diasporan physicians and clinic resources would not need to travel far. The population is large enough to implement significant programs and study its effectiveness. This can be done without overwhelming resources typically required for national level programs.
Med Aid Armenia set out to create a program at the Nor Hachen Polyclinic with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes of the population with grounded and sustainable use of resources and improving the wellness of the clinic staff.
Region
City / Village
Start Date
End Date
Gallery Images
Needed Equipment
The Need
Currently, the Armenian Government is renovating the building and last year we were able to raise enough funds to purchase an x-ray machine for the polyclinic. However, the Nor Hachen Polyclinic is still in need of numerous pieces of medical equipment to give the best safe medical care.
Short Term Impact
In the short term, as funding is available, needed quality equipment will be purchased and delivered to the medical center. This will allow the polyclinic’s doctors to give quality care all in one place without having to send patients elsewhere for necessary medical services.
Long Term Impact
In the long term, 13,000 patients will receive better health care as the Nor Hachen Clinic receives better equipment and staff is trained upon this new equipment.
Sponsors Benefits
All sponsors of this important project will be listed on The Paros Foundation’s website and in all press related to this project. Visits to the Nor Hachen community can be arranged for sponsors visiting Armenia.
Asbed & Lori Tatoulian
La Canada, CAMr. & Dr. John & Ani Kedeshian
Pasadena, CAMr. & Mrs. Koko & Luiza Babian
Pasadena, CAMr. & Dr. Adam & Maral Kevorkian
Granada Hills, CAMr. & Mrs. Mher & Mary Torosyan
Glendale, CARobert Riewerts and Susan Regas
Pasadena, CAAnonymous
Encino, CAMr. & Mrs. Bryan & Monica Perez
Altadena, CADr. & Mrs. Stuart & Christina Friar-Ackerman
Encino, CANorman Celik
Tarzana, CAMr. & Mrs. Vahak & Tanya Papasian
Tarzana, CAUpdates: Images & Information
The Armenian Government has confirmed their intent on renovating the physical clinic. We hope to start renovations by the end of this year.
Today, Peter Abajian delivered four vital sign monitors and four otoscopes. Dr. Deramerian explained proper usage of the vital sign monitors to the clinic staff.
Med-Aid Armenia 2024 participants visited the Nor Hachen Clinic to teach a training to the staff and provide check-ups for locals. This also included a visit to Getamej, a town close to the Nor Hachen Clinic, providing check-ups. The goal is to deliver emergency care, but also ensure that these villages are receiving ongoing preventative care.