Health: Health 4 Palestine

Expanding Healthcare for Refugee Communities

Program: Health 4 Palestine

Health 4 Palestine is a program that serves Palestinian refugees living in UN-run camps in the West Bank. It operates on a Community Health Worker (CHW) model that is uniquely Palestinian. 1for3 & its partner in the West Bank the Lajee Center, located in the UN-run Aida refugee camp, jointly direct & fund the program. H4P currently works in six UN-run camps.                                                                                                          

For over 8 years the members of H4P have trained mixed gender teams of Palestinian young professionals to serve as CHWs in UN-run Palestinian refugee camps. This training provides skills, employment & supports public health improvement. The teams target patients suffering from chronic illnesses & mental trauma.

In total, the Health 4 Palestine team consists of 31 community health workers, 3 MDs, 2 psychologists, 570 patients being seen with 4 initiatives (hypertension, diabetes, pediatric wellness, trauma care).

Our Goals for Health

  • Improve access to basic & preventative healthcare.

  • Support mental & psychosocial care in high-trauma environments.

  • Provide regular health screenings in collaboration with local UNRWA clinics to help children & families. 

  • Empower young people by training them to be community health leaders & trainers in future education programs. 

  • Raise health awareness through ongoing health education & daily practices for adults, especially the elderly or those with chronic diseases,  to improve overall health outcomes.

Community Need

H4P started in 2018 when our partners at the Lajee Center in the UN-run Aida refugee camp alerted us to a growing need for community-based physical & mental health solutions for chronically ill residents. After discussions with our partners in Palestine & consultations with experts at Harvard Medical School, Cornell Medical School & the University of Massachusetts Boston, H4P was born. H4P uses a service model pioneered by Partners In Health (PIH).

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H4P Leadership Team

  • Bram Wispelwey, MD

    Co-Founder H4P

    Associate Physician, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham & Women’s Hospital Instructor, Harvard Medical School; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Wispelwey is a Co-founder & Chief Strategist of Health 4 Palestine. His research focuses on structural racism in hospital triage, ethics, community health worker impact, social & political barriers to health & colonial violence. Before his medical career, Wispelwey pursued LGBT-rights activism. He is currently an Atlantic Health Equity Fellow.

  • Henry Louis, MD

    International Medical Director H4P

    Family Medicine Resident Physician, University of Massachusetts Medical School. Louis's responsibilities include supervising all activities related to qualitative & quantitative data collection on program activities. Furthermore, alongside the team of international advisers, he contributes to a diverse array of development efforts including community organizing. Louis’ passion for working alongside community members & pursing health equity & social justice have dragged him across the world, from Egypt to Armenia to his current beloved Palestine.

  • David Scales, MD

    Co-Founder H4P

    Assistant Professor of Medicine, Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College. Scales has extensive experience with various NGOs in North Africa/West Asia, serving on the board of Questscope & having volunteered to provide medical assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan. Trained in Sociology & Internal Medicine, his interests center on structural determinants of health, health disparities, & medical communication.

  • Aya Darwish, CHW

    Aida Coordinator H4P

    Darwish has been a community Health worker since 2019. She studied medical laboratory in Bethlehem & continues to study counseling & mental health with a team of local Palestinian and international psychologists.

  • Anfal Hadayda, CHW

    Tulkarm/Nur Shams Coordinator H4P

    Hadayda implements & organizes health & humanitarian activities for vulnerable populations in 2 Palestinian refugee camps. She believes in the importance of community work, improving people's lives, enhancing their dignity & supporting them to persevere even in the hardest moments.