A community health volunteer strategy for the management of hypertension and diabetes and COVID-19 detection among Syrian refugees in Jordan

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Jordan, IRC clinics delivering critical, free care for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were required to close. As a result the needs of refugees with NCDs became severe and remained unmet.

Primary care models for NCD management which integrate community health workers have been effective in controlling disease in several low- and middle-income countries. The IRC rapidly-scaled a ‘remote’ version of a community volunteer (CHV) program for patients with hypertension and/or diabetes based on (1) delivery of medications to local pharmacies and (2) monthly telephone consultation by CHVs (including monitoring of complications, counselling, and COVID-19 preventative messaging and screening of symptoms).

The study found that community health volunteers provided a critical link to Syrian refugees with noncommunicable diseases at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find out more about their key findings and recommendations in this research brief.