Adventist Health Glendale | Healthline Quarterly | Winter 2019

FOR THE FOURTH YEAR, Adventist Health Glendale and Adventist Health White Memorial partnered with Armenia Fund for Compassion in Action–Mission Armenia, a medical mission from Sept. 22 through Oct. 5, 2018, that delivered critical care, lifesaving surgeries and medical expertise to Armenia. The mission was made possible by donors, including Hacop Baghdassarian, a Glendale resident, who, with his wife, Hilda, and their family, dedicated their lives to improving Armenia. The Adventist Health mission team was united with a mutual goal—to help lives flourish in Armenia! Men, women and children filled hallways at Noyemberyan Hospital and Stepanakert Republican Medical Center in Artsakh, waiting for medical care. Among them was a 48-year-old man with a previously ruptured brain aneurysm. His wife, dressed in military uniform, anxiously grasped her husband’s hand. Without emergency treatment, he may have died. Alice Issai, president of Adventist Health Glendale, one of 60 volunteer medical missionaries from two sister hospitals in Los Angeles, recalls that moment. “He thought his only option was flying to St. Petersburg, Russia,” she says. “It felt like a miracle when we could help him.” Mikayel Grigoryan, MD, Armenian-born Adventist Health Glendale interven- tional neurologist, worked side by side to mentor doctors in Artsakh and save the man’s life. “I saw God’s work in front of my eyes,” says Issai. “We worked as a team to carry out our hospital’s mission of living God’s love by inspiring health, whole- ness and hope…for Armenia.” The meaning of mission work The group of missionaries from Adventist Health Glendale and Adventist Health White Memorial saw the mission as an opportunity to provide sustain- able care. They also believe it is their duty for the diaspora to help create a bet- ter Armenia—and help Armenians overcome challenges they have endured as a nation. “We helped develop the foundation of health care to increase life expectan- cies,” says Arby Nahapetian, MD, regional medical officer, Adventist Health Southern California. “To create sustainability, we educated and trained local physicians and nurses so they can provide the same care in exponential num- bers. This is critical for Armenia’s development, future security and growth.” Adventist Health saves lives in Physicians save the life of a 48-year-old patient with a ruptured brain aneurysm. David Sahakyan, MD (left), Armenia-based physician; Mikayel Grigoryan, MD (right), interventional neurologist. I saw God’s work in front of my eyes. We worked as a team to carry out our hospital’s mission of living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope…for Armenia. —Alice Issai, president of Adventist Health Glendale Mireille Hamparian, MD, treats eye patients while nurses observe and learn. Karine Khachatryan, RN, provides health education to nurses. Visiting patients in the village of Krasni. James Burke, MD (left), emergency physician, Adventist Health Physicians Network medical officer; Hovik Mazmanyan, MD (right), Armenia-based physician. 2 MISSION