The Utahns were taken with the country's decision to pour new resources into women's health issues, a field where technology fares better. One new women's clinic provides everything from dental care to physical therapy and family practice doctors.

Votkinsk takes an intensive approach to prevention in the form of well-child care.

After a birth in Votkinsk, mom and baby stay in the hospital for two weeks. At home, a doctor visits several times the first month, then a little less often in coming months. Babies receive intensive, ongoing care and developmental evaluations. Vaccinations are highly valued, Dahl says.

"It is cost-effective to pour resources into the first year of a life," she says.

Votkinsk has no emergency rooms; doctors make house calls in ambulances.

There's a little wistfulness in their voices as Dahl and Jarrett note the Russian doctors do a lot more hands-on diagnosis.

The team identified ways West Jordan could actively help health care in Votkinsk: Doctors there want more teaching aids for child birth and cancer, like models of organs. They need glucose monitors and oxymeters, which are relatively cheap and would make a huge difference. They'd like to make translated medical information more readily available.

But they want something in return, too. They want Votkinsk doctors to visit the Wasatch Front and show Utahns the things they do best. A lot could be learned from their women's' clinic, Jarrett says.

Sister cities can be so much more than symbolic, says Jennifer Andelin, chairwoman of the West Jordan Sister City Foundation. They can help each other improve while fostering cultural understanding. "Sister cities are huge opportunities," Andelin says.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com