For the 6th year in a row, Dr. Al and Sue Phillips led a group of medical professionals and volunteers on a 10-day medical mission trip to Armenia. This year, the group was quite large with 40 volunteers and 6 Armenian translators; the team included 3 physicians, 1 physician assistant, 4 nurses, 1 dentist, 1 lab technician, and many willing workers.
Dr. Al Phillips in consultation with a patient in Vanadzor
The majority of the team members arrived in Yerevan on June 19 and spent the weekend touring the city and outlying areas. They also attended the Sunday worship service at the Evangelical Church of Armenia on Baghramyan Street in Yerevan. The first two days, the clinic was set up in the Armenian Evangelical Church of Vanadzor; patients came from Tumanyan, Spitak, Shirakamut, Gyumri, Dilijan, Ijevan, and Alaverdi. Following Vanadzor, the team traveled to Stepanavan and set up their clinic in the Social Services Center of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) and Evangelical Church in Stepanavan.
All patients that came to the clinic entered through the triage section: First, their vital signs were obtained and their urine screened for diabetes and kidney disorders. Their medical history was obtained by the nurses and medical students. If necessary, an EKG or lab work was ordered. From triage, the patients were sent to the physicians. Here, each one was examined and prescribed medications. They then went to the pharmacy, where their prescriptions were filled and they were advised on how to properly take the medication. (The medical mission team has an operating budget from the AMAA to provide a one-year supply of medication to the patients.) While the patients waited, the nurse educator gave lectures on various medical topics including smoking cessation, diabetes, and proper eating.
Dr. Barbara Tashjian with a dental patient
This year, the group also included a dentist who educated and treated the children and young adults. As in the past, reading glasses were distributed to those with poor vision. The team reached an all-time-high record for the number of patients seen by physicians: 1,005. The number jumps to 1,250 if those who were seen by the dentist or who obtained glasses are included.
At the conclusion of the week, the team returned to Yerevan via Lake Sevan, and went to Etchmiadzin and Khor Virap. They took part in a celebration banquet, recounting the miraculous ways God worked among the people they saw.
This year also saw some exciting advances in the team’s ability to care for the patients. First, a generous donation was received to purchase an EKG machine and two professional quality blood pressure machines. Second, over the past year, the AMAA staff in Armenia scanned the medical records of all patients seen over the past 5 years; surveying these records, it was inspiring to know that 3,500 people have received medical treatment through the AMAA.
The team will return to Armenia in June 2015 for their 7th mission trip. According to the AMAA, individuals who want to serve need not be medical professionals; they must only have a servant’s heart. All donations are specifically used for purchasing supplies and medications. For more information or an application, see the link to the Medical Mission website on the left column at www.amaa.org.
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