The realisation of a first Modern Asclepieion Park was put forward as an endeavour for the city of Athens and an association under the name ‘Friends of the Asclepieion Park of Athens’ was created on June 21, 1994. The approach of the new millennium has stimulated a continued and growing interest in their work.

One of the goals of the Association is to promote and support R&D activities on Health and Culture and to seek collaboration with public and private organisations. The Association's current activities are aimed at:

• defining a long-term programme concerning ‘Modern Asclepieions’ and a medium-term programme concerning the ‘Asclepieion Park of Athens’
• finalising conceptual designs and planning
• promoting information dissemination and public awareness
• co-operating with public and private authorities and institutions towards implementation

The strategy for the development of ‘The Athens Modern Asclepieion Park’ revolves around two main themes:

1. The first theme concerns medical services and aims at a gradual transition from the currently offered services at the existing and administratively independent medical installations towards a technologically advanced and co-operating service with additional ecological and cultural orientations.
2. The second theme concerns the creation of new installations. These will be governed by the specifications emerging from research and development initiatives and the piloting of application conducted at the current site chosen for the Asclepieion Park of Athens (or from the results of these activities conducted at another site in the major Athens area). The overall specifications of the Athens Asclepieion Park will also be created from the results of current and future R&D activities.

To what extend a Modern Asclepieion Park could affect urban planning procedures is left to the initiatives of the local communities that wish to participate to this novel and far reaching programme. The objective of central planning however will be embedded in the procedures for informing authorities and non-government organisations as well as the methodologies for planning, implementation and operation.

The Association, ‘Friends of the Asclepieion Park of Athens’, has created a database of relevant data and information, which is intended to facilitate the entire programme. The association is the ‘trustee’ of the initiatives of these endeavours and their outcomes. The members offer technical and R&D assistance to all interested parties.