A Nurse’s Journey Home With a Bigger Vision
Lena Esmail didn’t follow the usual path to becoming a CEO. She didn’t leave home for a bigger city or a more famous job. Instead, she stayed in the Mahoning Valley—where she grew up—and decided to build something new in a place she knew best.
“My heart is here,” she says. “I grew up on the North Side. I worked at almost every place on Belmont Avenue you can imagine.”
That choice—to return home and stay—set the stage for what would become QuickMed, a network of community-based clinics serving Ohio residents with urgent care, primary care, and school-based services. But Esmail’s story didn’t begin with a business idea. It started with a calling to help people.
How Lena Esmail’s Nursing Roots Shaped QuickMed
After graduating from Liberty High School in 2004, Esmail earned degrees in both nursing and biology from Youngstown State University. She went on to complete her master’s in nursing at Ursuline College, and later earned a doctorate in nursing practice from Kent State University.
This strong educational foundation wasn’t about titles or status—it was about being ready to serve.
“I am a nurse,” Esmail often says. And that identity remains at the core of her work, even as she leads a growing organization.
“If you can’t make a change where you start, you can’t make a change anywhere.”
This belief has shaped how QuickMed operates. Esmail noticed a serious gap in healthcare access—especially in working-class neighborhoods, small towns, and schools. Many families had no easy way to get care that was timely, affordable, or nearby.
So, she built a model around one idea: bring care to people where they are.
Building Clinics That Fit Into Communities
The first QuickMed clinic opened in Liberty, Ohio. It was a small start. But it quickly became clear that the need was huge.
Today, QuickMed has locations in nine Ohio communities—including Akron, Medina, Ravenna, Columbiana, and more. The clinics use advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to offer care without the barriers of traditional hospitals.
“It’s about delivering quality care in the places people already are,” Esmail explains. “It’s simple, but it works.”
Many clinics are located in schools or neighborhoods—places where care is needed most and least available. This model lowers the cost of entry, reduces wait times, and keeps people out of emergency rooms for everyday issues.
“We’re built to fit into the community, not overwhelm it.”
Why Local Action Matters in Healthcare
Esmail doesn’t just run clinics. She’s become a voice for what healthcare could look like when it’s built from the ground up, not top-down.
The U.S. still has more than 100 million people living in areas with too few primary care providers. These gaps lead to missed diagnoses, higher emergency room use, and worse health outcomes.
Esmail saw it happen around her. So she chose to do something about it—starting in the place that raised her.
“Seeing my impact in the curbing of the inequity in care here is amazing,” she says.
Her clinics now serve thousands of Ohio residents. But her focus hasn’t changed: she still believes the key to healthcare reform is local, personal, and practical.
Lessons From Esmail’s Career Path
Esmail’s journey offers a lesson for professionals in healthcare, business, or community work: you don’t always have to go far to build something meaningful.
She chose to stay close to home. She used her training and insight to spot a need that others overlooked. And she built a company that responds to that need with care, not just strategy.
“You don’t have to build a clinic to make a difference,” she says. “You just have to care enough to start.”
A Role Model for Healthcare Innovation
Esmail has been honored by Youngstown State University’s Bitonte College of Health and Human Services as an Alumni of the Year. But what sets her apart isn’t awards—it’s the way she combines skill and heart.
She leads like a nurse, thinks like a builder, and acts like a neighbor. Her career reminds us that innovation doesn’t always mean high-tech or high-cost. Sometimes, it means looking around your hometown and deciding things could be better.
And then doing something about it.
Final Thought
Lena Esmail didn’t set out to “disrupt” healthcare. She set out to serve. And in doing so, she’s shown how one person—grounded in purpose and connected to place—can bring a big idea to life.
For those wondering where to start, her answer is simple: “Start where you are. That’s where change begins.”
Read More:
how many jobs are available in consumer services
what is one way that technology can improve the distribution of goods?
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news, and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business networks spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems
