SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The World Affairs Council of San Francisco will feature a presentation on the health care situation in Nagorno Karabagh during a public conference here on December 7.

The status of public health care in Nagorno Karabagh has been an issue of great concern to the Armenian community because of the limited resources available to Karabagh, and because of its political situation. Alina Dorian, a specialist in public health who has worked in Karabagh since 1995, will explain what has been done in the region, and what still needs to be done.

Dorian will speak at 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 7, at the San Francisco headquarters of the World Affairs Council in downtown San Francisco, which is located at 312 Sutter Street. The presentation is open to the public. Admission is $7 for Council members, $10 for non-members and $3 for students. Reservations are not required, but they are suggested because of limited seating.

"Karabagh has been overlooked by the international community," says Dorian. "But despite the difficult situation and the limited resources, (Karabagh) has come a long way." The region is an independent republic that has been struggling to develop the infrastructure of health care ever since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Dorian is present of the Local Hands Foundation, a non-profit organization that is working to promote health care in Karabagh.

The World Affairs Council is also sponsoring an exhibition of photography from the book "Out of Stone: Armenia-Artsakh," by Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian. The exhibition will be opening during a reception after this event and is continuing through Dec. 29.

To make reservations, or for more information about the presentation and about other programs of the World Affairs Council, call (415) 293-4600, or go online at www.wacsf.org.