MISSION: PREVENT
AVOIDABLE BLINDNESS IN ARMENIA
OBJECTIVES:
- Conduct scientific investigations
of ophthalmic epidemiology in order to increase understanding
of eye disease in the community;
- Link ophthalmologic services with
expertise in organizing, financing and delivery of
services to increasae the utilization of ophthalmologic
care in Armenia;
- Educate eye care providers and general
public on scientific advances in detecting, preventing
and treating eye disease and in translating these
advances into nationwide clinical practice;
- Establish an ophthalmic care and
prevention network in order to expand service delivery
to the under-served population in need with affordable,
accessible and high quality eye care services for
prevention and treatment of blindness at all levels;
- Develop partnerships with organizations
that are interested in blindness prevention and are
capable of furthering the achievements of Institute's
goal;
- Train the future professionals for
blindness prevention activities in Armenia;
- Establish a blindness prevention
regional network for enlarged activities in all Caucasus
region, emphasizing under-served areas and minority
population.
GMEIPO staff participates in and direct
the completion of projects related to the Institutes
objectives. The local staff is supported and guided
by a team of resident and US-based expatriate public
health and health communication experts. As such, GMEIPOs
projects are organized to make maximal use of locally
trained eye care professionals with minimal oversight
and guidance by expatriate faculty and consultants.
Consequently, expatriate faculty and staff are typically
involved in the conceptualization of projects, providing
specific technical guidance, assisting in data analysis,
and editing final reports in English.
In 1999 GMEIPO carried out a Situational
Analysis Based on the Statistics from the Ministry
of Health of Armenia and a Survey of Regional
Ophthalmic Services aimed at the identification
of major ophthalmologic problems in the country, which
justified the main directions for eye disease prevention
in Armenia.
In 2000-2002, based on the qualitative
results of the above-stated two projects, several other
projects were developed and implemented by the GMEIPO
work team. The key projects were:
- Summer Camps Project,
supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR). The project covered 11 summer camps with
about 6,000 school age children. All children were
screened, and provided glasses or referred for further
treatment as needed. The prevalence of eye pathologies
was estimated from this data.
- Armavir Health Fair Project,
supported by the American International Health Alliance
(AIHA), provided a mass screening of vulnerable population
groups, appropriate eye care, and identification of
barriers to eye care utilization and assessment of
the impact of eye problems on quality of life.
- Boarding School Visual Impairment
Project, supported by UNICEF/Armenia and
the Jinishian Memorial Fund, detected visual impairments
and other major health problems including nutrition
deficiency, physical development problems, mental
and neurological pathologies among approximately 600
children living in or attending four institutions
in Armenia.
- World Vision Gyumri Area
Development Project, supported by World Vision/Armenia,
provided eye care to approximately 2,000 children
in Gyumri ( Northern Armenia).
- Strengthening Regional Ophthalmic
Services in Gegharkunik Marz of Armenia Project,
supported by Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF).
Recently the Ararat Lions Club, in partnership
with GMEIPO and the Ministry of Health was awarded a
LCIF SightFirst grant for improving eye care in Gegharkunik.
A regional ophthalmic unit (ROU) in Sevan is planned
to provide eye care on the district level. The project
will develop a model of organization, financing, and
delivery of regional ophthalmic services for Armenia
that could be replicated as a national model for quality
and affordable medical services.
Most of GMEIPO studies were published
in local and international journals, as well as presented
at several blindness prevention seminars held by GMEIPO,
including seminar Contemporary Issues in Ophthalmology
of Armenia and conference Blindness
Prevention in Armenia: Setting Priorities.
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Recently GMEIPO announced the Meghrigian
Public Health Ophthalmology Fellowship Program.
This fellowship prepares ophthalmologists for blindness
prevention activities in Armenia. Meghrigian fellows
will complete the two-year MPH Program at the American
University of Armenia while engaging in practical training
and research at the GMEIPO. GMEIPO will expose fellows
to principles of public health ophthalmology. The program
complements clinical ophthalmology training, which is
focused on providing relief to one patient, to a population-based
perspective of eye health. In their first year, Meghrigian
Fellows will receive a scholarship covering their MPH
tuition in exchange for committing to 20 hours per week
of work in the GMEIPO/CHSR and maintaining good academic
standing. In their second year, Meghrigian fellows will
also receive a stipend. Up to two fellowships will be
awarded each year beginning with the 2004/2005 MPH cohort.
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