Community Health Worker (CHW) Program · Syunik Province, Armenia

Bringing Healthcare to Armenia’s Neglected Villages

Community Health Worker (CHW) Program · Syunik Province, Armenia

In rural Syunik province, families face daily barriers to medical care:  geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and limited access for management of chronic diseases. The Community Health Worker (CHW) Program is changing that, one village at a time.

THE CHALLENGE

A Healthcare Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

In Syunik, Armenia’s southernmost and most isolated province, residents living with chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes struggle to access medical care. Poor infrastructure, a shortage of specialists, and the lingering toll of conflict and economic hardship compound an already fragile health landscape.

Hypertension affects an estimated 41% of Syunik’s population, while diabetes prevalence stands at 12.3%—figures that demand urgent, community-rooted responses. Without a structural solution, the gap between national health reform and the realities of village life will only widen.

OUR APPROACH

The Bridge Between Families and the Health System

The CHW Program pairs trained Community Health Workers with local nurses, deploying them directly into rural villages. This model, endorsed by the World Health Organization’s Primary Health Care framework, addresses what clinics alone cannot: the daily, continuous, human dimension of care.

CHW–Nurse pairs are embedded in the communities they serve. They speak the language, understand the culture, and have the trust that formal health institutions often struggle to earn. Their work is built on four pillars:

1. Outreach & Early Detection

Door-to-door screening for hypertension, diabetes, and key risk factors; community health events that bring services directly to residents.

2. Continuity of Care

Regular home visits, medication adherence support, blood pressure and glucose monitoring, and coordination of referrals and follow-up appointments.

3. Social Accompaniment

Trauma-informed, culturally competent care that addresses psychosocial needs alongside physical health, ensuring vulnerable individuals stay meaningfully connected to the system.

4. System Navigation

Helping residents enroll in mandatory insurance, understand their benefits, and navigate referral pathways, bridging communities to formal health services and social support.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

• 1,000+ home visits conducted
• 360+ individuals with hypertension and diabetes receiving structured follow-up
• Community-based screenings expanding detection of undiagnosed conditions
• Measurable improvements in trust, engagement, and adherence

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY

What Patients Are Saying

“When you call, she comes right away and treats you warmly. What I like most is her smile.”

— Male patient, 73 · Syunik village

“When the community worker came to measure my blood sugar, my husband also wanted his checked — it was the first time in his life it had ever been measured. It turned out his blood pressure was high.”

— Female patient, 48 · Syunik village

“For me there’s really no difference between the community worker and the nurse.”

— Female patient, 48 · Syunik village

IMPACT & EVIDENCE

Measurable Results, Community-Grounded Research

In 2025, four CHW–Nurse pairs operating across four rural Syunik villages conducted more than 1,000 home visits, providing structured chronic disease follow-up to over 360 individuals living with hypertension and diabetes. Beyond numbers, qualitative research (including in-depth patient interviews) confirms what data alone cannot capture: restored trust, earlier detection, and sustained engagement with care.

In partnership with Armenia’s State Health Agency (SHA), CHWs now deliver a co-designed preventive screening plan covering approximately 30% of the catchment population. Data is collected using KoboToolbox, a digital health platform developed by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, ensuring rigorous, actionable evidence for ongoing program improvement and policy influence.

SCALING UP

Growing the Model to Reach More Communities

With the support of the JHM Foundation, HENAR is expanding the CHW program into additional underserved villages in Syunik. Following rigorous focus group research and site-selection criteria, including proximity to primary care facilities, population need, and community engagement, the project will be expanded to four additional villages in the Syunik region: Nerqin Khntsoresk, Tatev, Khot, and Harjis.

Sustained philanthropic investment is essential to scale this work: recruiting, training, and supervising each new CHW–Nurse pair represents a direct investment in equitable healthcare for some of Armenia’s most vulnerable families.

PARTNERSHIP

BU-AMP and HENAR: A Shared Commitment to Health Equity

The Boston University – Armenia Medical Partnership and the HENAR Foundation are united by a common conviction: that Armenia’s path toward Universal Health Coverage must leave no one behind. Boston University brings academic rigor, global health expertise, and a deep network of researchers and practitioners. HENAR brings on-the-ground credibility, institutional relationships with Armenia’s State Health Agency, and an unwavering commitment to building a healthier, more resilient Armenia.

This collaboration demonstrates that community-based primary health care is achievable, measurable, and ready to scale.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Support This Program

Your support directly funds the training, deployment, and ongoing supervision of CHW–Nurse pairs, bringing consistent, compassionate healthcare to families who have long been overlooked. Every contribution helps recruit and sustain a new CHW–Nurse pair— extending the reach of this proven model to the next village in need.

To learn more or make a gift, please contact the Boston University – Armenia Medical Partnership.