For Immediate Release
April 14, 2011

RENOVATION OF MATERNITY WARD AT CHARENTSAVAN HOSPITAL CONTINUES

NEW YORK, New York — The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is renovating the maternity ward at Charentsavan Hospital in Armenia’s Kotayk Region. The project, launched in the fall of 2010, is co-financed by the Fund’s Dutch affiliate, donors in Armenia, and the management of the hospital.

The refurbishment will result in the addition of a second, and vitally needed, delivery room, replacement of the roof, a complete makeover of the ward’s interior, and installation of central heating.

“While the care and affection provided by Armenian mothers are key factors in good child-rearing, the availability of well-appointed medical facilities is critically important to the health of children throughout their lives,” says Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. “This is the reason that the Fund focuses considerable attention on renovating healthcare establishments, and especially maternity wards, throughout Armenia and Artsakh.”

Built in 1967, the three-story Charentsavan Hospital serves not only the city of Charentsavan, but several nearby communities, comprising a total population of over 35,000. The facility features departments of surgery, physical therapy, and infectious diseases as well as a polyclinic, in addition to the maternity ward. The hospital employs a staff of 72, including 18 doctors.

Dr. Garnik Sahakyan, director of the hospital, says that close to 370 babies are delivered annually at the facility, and the number of deliveries this year has already reached 91. For the duration of the maternity ward’s reconstruction, deliveries will be performed in temporary rooms.

ARMENIA FUND USA: founded in 1992, was one of the first of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund’s 21 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, 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.