Perm health care professionals examine health issues in Louisville, KY.

Five Perm health care professionals participating in the Open World Program spent December 12-20, 2008 in Perm sister city Louisville, KY examining local health care provision. Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress, Open World is designed to enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia and the Baltic States.

During the 10 days spent in America, the Perm delegates visited a dozen of Louisville medical centers, clinics and volunteer organizations.

Among the five visiting delegates were mostly health-care administrators - Aleksandr Butorin (head physician of Perm Medical Unit #3, Perm City Duma deputy), Lyudmila Chudinova (chief specialist of Community Based Department of Medical and Preventive Treatment), Anna Olina (administrator of Medical Unit #9) and Margarita Tryastsina (Deputy head for Clinical Care at City's Children's Hospital #8), so health-care management and financing were the major topics discussed.  Facilitator Alissa Baranova helped the delegates to adjust to cultural differences and the life in an American host family. 

During the Program, Perm Chief Surgeon Yuriy Busyrev was invited to the internationally acclaimed Jewish Hospital, the first U.S. hospital to offer patients the AbioCor totally implantable replacement heart to meet Dr. Robert Dowling, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the co-principal investigator for the AbioCor research team.

"No doubt, this trip is just another brick in the bridge of friendship of our countries", - notes Lyudmila Chudinova.

"We realize that American and Russian people have a lot in common: they have the same desires, the same dreams, and the same problems", - says Yuriy Busyrev.

The delegates will continue their professional partnership with American colleagues and are currently planning new projects.

Note:

The Open World Program aims to foster understanding between the United States and the Russian Federation and to assist Russia's democratic and economic reforms. Up to 2,500 Russian leaders will participate in Open World in 2009. More than 4,500 Open World visitors from all 89 Russian regions have been hosted in 49 states since the program began in 1999.