This study evaluated community health volunteer (CHV) strategies to prevent non-communicable disease (NCD) care disruption and promote the detection of COVID-19 among Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians, as the pandemic started.

The study found during multiple crises, a rapidly adapted community health strategy provided cost-effective prevention of NCD care disruption and reinforced COVID-19 detection. The CHV strategy was found to be cost-efficient, offering an opportunity to expand how CHVs support primary health care and bridge access to healthcare and knowledge for refugees. However it cannot alone address structural barriers, namely the lack of referral options, and funding for secondary care.

This research was supported by the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme.