For almost a century, the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA) has been supporting the nation and people of Greece with billions of dollars in assistance and support during times of need.

The organization announced today a $30,000 donation to an Athens-based research center working to support the public health of the people of Greece in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

AHEPA’s donation to the Center for Epidemiology and Outcomes Research (CLEO) will contribute to the development and implementation of a robust on-the-ground training program for healthcare professionals working in the newly established COVID-19 primary care centers and COVID-19-dedicated hospitals in Greece.

In addition, AHEPA’s donation will back time-sensitive and vital research on the spread of COVID-19 in Greece through data collection and biostatistical analysis performed at CLEO.

Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis, who founded CLEO in 2011, will lead the research. He also serves in an advisory role at Greece’s Ministry of Health where he has played an integral part of the ministry’s outbreak management team and contributed to the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. He also has served as ministry’s spokesperson.

Dr. Zaoutis, is a member of AHEPA’s Hercules-Spartan Chapter 26 in Philadelphia and a professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and is a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“We were so impressed that Dr. Zaoutis would go to Greece and fill this vital role,” AHEPA’s President George Horiates said. “He is one in a series of examples of Ahepans who are dedicated professionals, essential service employees, or volunteers worldwide that are working for the public good. This strong desire to help our communities is what drives Ahepans.”

CLEO’s mission is to improve patient safety and the quality of healthcare services provided by Greek hospitals, with emphasis on the prevention of hospital-acquired infections and the promotion of judicious antibiotic use. With the coronavirus pandemic, the importance of Dr. Zaoutis’ work and the public’s focus on it, has increased significantly.

The latest gift is consistent with AHEPA’s immediate response to the needs of the Greek people in times of crisis. During the World War II years AHEPA mobilized its grassroots chapter network to raise millions of dollars to support numerous initiatives in the famine-ravaged country.

After the war, entire hospitals were built that bear the AHEPA name throughout the country, including at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens and the AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki which also served as the country’s COVID-19 hospital for northern Greece.

After the devastating wildfires in Attica that killed more than a hundred people, AHEPA paid for a burn unit to be created at an Athens medical center.