For Immediate Release
March 8, 2008

ARMENIA FUND USA SUPPLIES
NEW MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
TO ARMINE PAGOUMIAN POLYCLINIC
IN STEPANAKERT

NEW YORK, New York — Armenia Fund USA is pleased to announce the successful delivery of yet another shipment of new medical supplies – equipment, office and hygiene items - to the Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.

The supplies, made possible by Project C.U.R.E. of Centennial, Colorado, and worth $464,779 were delivered through airlift and sea container by the United Armenian Fund, and distributed through Karabakh’s Ministry of Health to the state-of-the-art Stepanakert polyclinic. The medical supplies and equipment are critical to the day-to-day operations of the Polyclinic and include urgently needed hygiene items and examination room equipment. While the items are donated, the shipping costs and logistics would have proven to be prohibitive without the United Armenian Fund’s generosity in making the shipment and underwriting the cost.

The Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic and Hirair Hovnanian Diagnostic Center is a bold initiative that was completed in March of 2006. Being the only state-of-the-art medical institution in Stepanakert, the center meets the out-patient needs of not only Stepanakert population, but also the villages and farther rural areas outside of the city. To ensure adequate healthcare service, the Fund also held medical staff and administrative support trainings.

“We will work together to ensure the necessary maintenance work in our polyclinic”, the newly appointed Executive Director Karine Atayan told the Armenia Fund working group visiting Karabakh within Project Condition Survey of Armenia Fund projects 2002–2007.

According to Ms. Atayan, as of December 2007, over 83,815 people underwent general therapeutic treatment, 24,228 were screened and examined and 26,492 had laboratory tests at the Polyclinic. “I believe good conditions in a medical institution are vital to the recovery of patients. It is more important though, that the Karabakh residents feel confident about the healthcare service delivered here. This is the reason the Fund also embarked on the full renovation of the Hadrut Regional Hospital which is due to be completed in mid 2008,’ says Vahe Aghabegians, the executive director of Armenia Fund in Yerevan.

ABOUT THE UNITED ARMENIAN FUND: Founded in 1989 and based in Glendale, CA, the United Armenian Fund is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary Association of America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and the Lincy Foundation. To date, the UAF has sponsored and prepared 145 Airlifts, 1,544 sea containers and delivered over $514 million of aid to Armenia. For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific Avenue, Suite 204, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.

ABOUT PROJECT C.U.R.E.
Project C.U.R.E. is the registered trademark of the Benevolent Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, humanitarian relief organization that collects donated medical supplies and equipment and delivers them to developing countries. Currently, Project C.U.R.E. is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical supplies and equipment to developing nations, working with more than 120 countries worldwide. Founded in 1987 to help meet the endless need for medical supplies and services in developing countries, Project C.U.R.E. is headquartered in Denver, Colo. Distribution centers are located at headquarters as well as in Phoenix, Ariz.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Houston, Texas. Project C.U.R.E. collection centers are located in Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; Lexington, Ky.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and Sarasota, Fla. For more information, visit www.projectcure.org.

About the Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic and Diagnostic Center: The Armine Pagoumian Polyclinic and Diagnostic Center was funded by a U.S. businessman in memory of his aunt. The Polyclinic, one of the Fund’s major initiatives, has created a strong, long-term quality/state-of-the-art outpatient healthcare center in the conflict-torn region of Nagorno-Karabakh. For more information about this project, contact Irina Lazarian at Armenia Fund USA.

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: founded in 1992, was one of the first of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 19 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. Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 19 international affiliates – 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.

To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, please visit our website at
www.ArmeniaFundUSA.org or call us at 212-689-5307.

Armenia Fund USA
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 301
New York, NY 10038