Robert Chacon
Kaiser Permanente opened an Armenian Service Center at its Glendale
medical offices Thursday in hopes of better serving the city's
Armenian American population.
While the city's population is 45% Armenian American, only 3% of
the patients at Kaiser's Glendale medical offices are of Armenian
descent, spokesman Kevin Dunegan said.
The seven employees -- including four physicians, a physical
therapist, lab technician and pharmacy assistant -- who staff the
third-floor office of the center speak Armenian. The physician team
will include a pediatrician, two family-practice physicians and one
internal medicine doctor. One of the family-practice doctors also
provides obstetric care.
With the addition of the center, Kaiser is hoping to double the
number of Armenian American patients it serves in the city, Dunegan
said.
"If Armenian patients go somewhere for medical services, it is a
hospital with an Armenian-speaking staff," he said.
The center's goal is to improve the health of the area's Armenian
population. Statistics show they are at high risk for cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The hospital also wants to build relationships with the Armenian
American community.
"To do that, you need to know and understand their culture and
their family structure. We're creating a place where that will be
understood," physician Krikor Dermarian said.
The office is at 444 W. Glenoaks Blvd.
