The Pancretan Association of America (PAA) has inaugurated Crete’s first Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the University General Hospital of Heraklion (PAGNI), in collaboration with the Region of Crete. The facility is only the third of its kind in a public hospital across Greece.

The ceremony took place on Monday, August 11, and was attended by Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis, PAA President Diane Kounalakis, World Council of Cretans (WCC) President and PAA Vice President Nikos Kastrinakis, and dozens of Cretans from the United States who had travelled to be part of the historic moment.

Kounalakis expressed gratitude to the donors from the U.S. and to Governor Arnaoutakis, who matched the association’s contribution.

“Today is a great day for the Pancretan Association of America. We managed to complete this project in just one year, thanks to the support and generosity of our members,” she said. “It is a new chapter in our long tradition of giving to Crete, which began in the 1940s. We are grateful to all the donors who made a project possible that will benefit many generations of our compatriots.”

The inauguration was blessed by Archbishop Myron of New Zealand, together with Archbishop Eugenios of Crete. Archbishop Myron praised the PAA’s “generosity whenever a need arises.”

Former PAA Philanthropy Chair Evangelia Hobitakis spoke of the “years-long effort to raise the necessary funds,” introducing her successor, Nikoleta Bianca Pigounakis, who now serves as Philanthropy Chair and Treasurer of the WCC.

She also acknowledged the role of Dr. Yiannis Karakis, who first presented the proposal and guided it through to completion.

Kastrinakis reflected on the PAA’s long history of contributions to healthcare in Crete, including the construction of the Venizeleio Hospital of Heraklion.

“Today, the history of the PAA’s philanthropy toward Crete’s healthcare institutions comes full circle,” he said. “With this significant donation to PAGNI, a cycle is completed that began with the vow of the Cretans of America to Eleftherios Venizelos, immediately after his passing. A cycle that may be complete, but never closed.”

Governor Arnaoutakis said the donation strengthened the island’s public health system and “constitutes the highest act of humanitarianism.”

Dr. Karakis emphasized the importance of the new unit for patients.

“It is a day of celebration, a day of deep gratitude, and a day of hope, so that we may be able to help people suffering from epileptic seizures, first diagnostically and then therapeutically,” he said. He noted that around 10 percent of the population experiences a seizure at some point in their lives, while epilepsy affects about one percent.

After the speeches, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, followed by a tour of the new facility.

The occasion was hailed as a milestone for both Crete and the Cretan diaspora. Over the past four years alone, the PAA has contributed nearly (USD) $500,000 to philanthropic projects across the island.