Dear colleagues and friends
Please see below the latest updates on the AAMA activities for the past 2 weeks:
- The two HBO machines project (one to Mikaelyan Institute in Yerevan and the other to the Republican Hospital in Artsakh): We held a meeting last week with the engineers / technicians in the US and the engineers and hospital administrators in Armenia, and with the help of the expertise of the Physics institute to ensure adequate oxygen pressure and supply in anticipation of starting the program.
- Anush Sahakian is in Armenia. She has taken with her 4 suitcases of urgently needed Covid supplies that will be distributed to 3 hospitals in Armenia. In addition, she will be traveling to Artsakh and take more supplies with her to the Republican Hospital in in Stepanakert.
- Partners for World Health project: The 40Ft container filled with medical supplies and equipment will be shipped on August 7 to Armenia to deliver the highly needed items to Sourp Asdvadzamayr Hospital and the Traumatology and Orthopedics Center.
- The 100 oxygen concentrators with their transformers that the AAMA shipped have cleared customs and will soon be delivered to our partners on the ground, the AHAOP who will distribute them to elderly patients, nursing homes, and patients with respiratory problems in need. We have also transferred funds to AHAOP to purchase of over 100 pulse oximeters needed for the program.
- The Oxygen Generator being built in Russia, and partially funded by the AAMA, will be tested in Russia on August 4. If all testing goes well, the generator will be ready to be transported to Armenia.
- Meduni conference in Armenia: Meduni, with whom the AAMA has partnered on the PWH project, is holding a conference and a series of lectures in-person and virtually in Armenia with a focus on digestive and colorectal diseases (please see attachment for more details). We encourage you to attend.
- The AAMA has received a request regarding Nephrology specialists who might be interested in helping develop a training program and establish protocols for renal replacement therapies for critically ill patients (e.g. CVVH) in Armenia. Please let me know if you know of someone who may be available to support such a program.
- The C-Arm that AAMA shipped to Armenia has cleared customs. Though initially slated to go to the military hospital, we have been informed they no longer need one as they received a donation from elsewhere. We are exploring alternate hospital options in most need of the machine.
- The medical student consortium team continues its planning meetings as we develop strategies to collaborate with medical student and postgraduate training and education both in Armenia and New England as well as developing a journal club and case presentation zoom webinars for medical students and residents from Armenia to benefit from. We are exploring opportunities with the various medical schools in Armenia and the NIH.
- Along the same lines, we are planning a social meet and great / happy hour on Friday September 10 starting at 6pm (location to be determined) for all AAMA members. Please save the date. Please visit our website at www.aamaboston.org and enjoy all the upgrades and new features that we have incorporated. For new or current members, we ask that you pay your dues through the website electronically ($150 for licensed practitioners, $75 for residents and fellows, free for all students). Remember that the AAMA is a non-profit organization. All your donations, including payment of your dues, are tax-deductible. Most of your paid dues go to fund medical student and allied health student scholarships. We are also on FB, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Another important reminder that we (the AAMA) are registered with the Amazon Smile program. Every time you purchase an item from Amazon, provided you choose AAMA as your non-profit from the Amazon Smile website, a certain percentage of your purchase gets donated to AAMA. We now have over 215 members / friends on this mailing list. The dollars add up. Please consider making use of this program while shopping on Amazon.
- The Aurora foundation is soliciting grant applications for up to $50,000 in support of projects to be conducted in Artsakh. The AAMA is exploring opportunities to collaborate on a couple of projects with Armenian NGO’s by potentially co-sponsoring such projects. More to come on this.
- If any of you are interested in being more actively involved with any of the AAMA activities above, or should you have an idea / project you would like to undertake, please reach out to me and we will get you more involved and support you as best we can.
With respect
Vatche’
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