Boston University, HENAR expand Syunik health program
YEREVAN — The HENAR Foundation recently announced the expansion of its Community Health Worker (CHW) program in Syunik, the southernmost province of Armenia. What started in three villages in 2024 has expanded to four additional villages, thanks to funding from the John and Hasmik Mgrdichian Foundation.
For the past year, primary medical care in these rural villages has been supported by community health workers under HENAR’s leadership. Most recently, HENAR partnered with the Boston University-Armenia Medical Partnership (BU-AMP) on the CHW project, marking a new phase of collaboration. Plans to scale up the project to more villages in Syunik, introduce new training approaches, and to raise community awareness are essential components of the partnership.
CHWs are health care workers who directly represent the communities they serve and provide basic medical and psychosocial services without the formal education required of professional health care providers. The model has been introduced and scaled worldwide, including in the United States. It has led to significant improvements in many settings and is considered by the World Health Organization to be a fundamental component of a strong health care system. Costa Rica’s CHW program has been lauded as a key factor in the country’s exceptional health outcomes in a region with poorer outcomes at higher cost.
“Community health worker programs are critical to delivering quality health care in underserved areas,” said Aram Kaligian, director of the BU-AMP. “Syunik is a full day’s drive from Yerevan, and most villagers there do not have the same access to health care as other parts of Armenia. Often, barriers to good health outcomes stem from patients’ misunderstanding how to take their medications, what to do if they cannot get prescriptions filled, or being too far from health facilities.” Community health workers help explain medications, how to take them correctly and troubleshoot difficulties in accessing medical care.
The program currently operates in seven villages near the towns of Goris, Sissian and Tatev — all a full day’s journey from Yerevan — near the borders with Azerbaijan and Iran. Villagers in this region have experienced conflict and trauma from generations of war and face difficult conditions due to their isolation from the rest of the country. They often feel forgotten and disconnected from their doctors, clinics and hospitals.
CHWs work to fill these gaps and support those in need. HENAR began with focus groups, asking the community about its health priorities and obstacles. It then recruited villagers to work alongside existing village nurses and trained pairs — one CHW and one nurse — in each village to provide physical and psychological care.
The program does not replace any part of the health care system in the region but complements it by connecting patients to doctors, helping clarify medication lists, and supporting health screenings in areas the system cannot always reach. The groups started slowly, going door to door and introducing themselves as part of this new approach to health care. What was initially met with skepticism is now an essential service. If a CHW takes even a few days off, villagers ask where they have been and why they have not visited recently.
The program was developed through a collaboration of health care professionals and volunteers, including diasporan physicians from the United States. Program director Dr. Henry Louis has built CHW programs in countries across the region and introduced the concept to Syunik through HENAR’s initiative. “The CHWs who work in Syunik provide essential services to villagers who otherwise would not interact with the health care system,” said Dr. Louis. “Going to someone’s home and sitting with them in their living room, talking to them about their health and wellness, is therapeutic in itself. If we can get people to visit their doctors and take their medications, even better.”
For more information on the Boston University–Armenia Medical Partnership (BU-AMP), visit bumc.bu.edu/armenia.
For more information on the HENAR Foundation, established in 2021 by Noubar and Anna Afeyan, Ruben Vardanyan and Arman Voskerchyan, visit https://henar.am.
