Lena Esmail Champions Community-Based Healthcare Access
Lena Esmail, nurse practitioner and CEO of QuickMed, is calling on local leaders, healthcare professionals, and everyday citizens to rethink how and where healthcare is delivered. In a new feature interview titled “Lena Esmail: Building QuickMed From the Ground Up,” Esmail shares how her own journey—from working on Belmont Avenue in Youngstown to leading a growing network of clinics—shaped her belief that sustainable healthcare reform starts at the community level.
“If you can’t make a change where you start, you can’t make a change anywhere,” Esmail says. “I wanted to be someone who made an impact in the place that made me.”
Her message: big health systems won’t fix healthcare inequality alone. Real change starts with locally-rooted, practical care models.
A System Failing Millions
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 100 million Americans live in areas with too few primary care providers. These healthcare deserts are often rural, low-income, or mid-sized towns—places like the Mahoning Valley, where Esmail grew up and still lives with her husband and six children.
“Our model doesn’t rely on massive hospitals or big buildings,” she explains. “We’re built to fit into the community, not overwhelm it.”
Through QuickMed, Esmail has brought urgent care, primary care, and school-based health services to nine cities across Ohio, including Liberty, Akron, Ravenna, and Medina. The clinics use nurse practitioners and physician assistants to bring care where people already live, learn, and work.
“It’s about delivering quality care in the places people already are,” she adds. “It’s simple, but it works.”
Healthcare Built From the Ground Up
A graduate of Liberty High School and Youngstown State University, Esmail holds a doctorate in nursing practice and has worked across nearly every care setting in the region. But rather than leaving for a bigger market, she doubled down on her hometown.
“My heart is here. I worked at almost every place on Belmont Avenue you can imagine,” she says. “To now be in a position where I can help curb inequity in care—that’s powerful.”
Esmail built QuickMed to solve what she saw firsthand: working families and kids being left out of the traditional healthcare system due to distance, cost, or limited hours.
What You Can Do Right Now
Esmail isn’t launching a policy campaign or asking for donations. She’s urging individuals to start where they are—by becoming more aware of the healthcare access gaps in their own communities and supporting models that bring care closer to home.
Here’s what she recommends:
-
Advocate for care in schools. School-based clinics reduce absenteeism and provide critical services where kids already are.
-
Talk to local officials. Encourage the use of nurse-led care models in underserved neighborhoods.
-
Support community providers. Choose local clinics that focus on access and inclusion.
-
Don’t underestimate small steps. Volunteer, share resources, or simply ask how you can help.
“You don’t have to build a clinic to make a difference,” Esmail says. “You just have to care enough to start.”
A Local Model With Scalable Potential
QuickMed’s growth proves that community-based healthcare is both needed and viable. As more towns face provider shortages and aging populations, models like Esmail’s offer a way forward.
“Seeing my impact here is amazing,” she says. “But this isn’t just about one company. It’s about rethinking how we serve people—especially those who’ve been overlooked.”
To read more, visit the website here.
About Lena Esmail
Lena Esmail is a board-certified nurse practitioner and the CEO of QuickMed, a network of urgent care and school-based clinics across Ohio. A graduate of Youngstown State University and Kent State, she lives in the Mahoning Valley with her husband and six children. She was named Alumni of the Year by YSU’s Bitonte College of Health and Human Services.
Contact:
Media Contact
Contact Person: Lena Esmail
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://www.lenaesmailohio.com/
