Youngstown-based nurse and QuickMed CEO calls for community-based care access and neighborhood-led healthcare reform

YOUNGSTOWN, OH / ACCESS Newswire / September 23, 2025 / Lena Esmail, a nurse practitioner and CEO of QuickMed, is using her recent spotlight feature to advocate for a smarter, more local approach to healthcare. In the newly published interview titled "Lena Esmail: The Nurse Who Reimagined Local Healthcare," Esmail opens up about her roots in the Mahoning Valley-and why she believes the path to fixing healthcare starts at the community level.

"If you can't make a change where you start, you can't make a change anywhere," Esmail says. "You don't have to build a clinic to make a difference. You just have to care enough to start."

Millions Still Lack Basic Access to Care

According to the Health Resources & Services Administration, over 100 million Americans live in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). These are often small towns, inner cities, and underserved regions where residents face long waits, high costs, or long drives for basic healthcare.

Esmail saw these problems firsthand growing up on the North Side of Youngstown, where she worked in nearly every corner of the local economy before becoming a nurse.

"My heart is here," she says. "I worked at almost every place on Belmont Avenue you can imagine. Now I get to help fill a healthcare gap in the same communities that raised me."

QuickMed's Community-Based Model as a Blueprint

Esmail founded QuickMed on a simple idea: healthcare should go where people already are. Today, QuickMed clinics operate in nine cities across Ohio, including Akron, Austintown, Medina, and Liberty. Many are placed near schools and neighborhoods-not just hospitals or high-income areas.

"We're built to fit into the community, not overwhelm it," Esmail explains. "It's about making care easier to reach-not harder."

The clinics rely on advanced practice providers like nurse practitioners and physician assistants to extend care access while maintaining clinical quality.

A Nurse's Perspective: Local First, Practical Always

Esmail holds a doctorate in nursing practice and was recently named Alumni of the Year by Youngstown State University's Bitonte College of Health and Human Services. Despite her credentials, her message is straightforward: stop waiting for big systems to fix everything-start building at the local level.

"Seeing my impact in the curbing of the inequity in care here is amazing," she says. "But I'm not special. Anyone can make a difference where they live."

Her feature interview emphasizes that lasting impact doesn't have to start with money or policy. It starts with awareness, creativity, and action-especially from people who know their communities best.

What People Can Do Right Now

Esmail is encouraging everyday people-not just policymakers or providers-to take action in their own neighborhoods. Here's how:

• Advocate for school-based clinics in your district. These improve health outcomes and reduce absenteeism.

• Support local care providers that prioritize access and inclusion.

• Talk to your city council or school board about bringing care closer to families.

• Volunteer or spread the word about local clinics and services in your community.

• Rethink "what healthcare looks like"-it doesn't always mean a hospital.

"You don't have to go far to find a healthcare gap," Esmail adds. "You just have to look down your own street."

A National Problem With Local Solutions

While the healthcare system remains complex, Esmail believes the best way forward is to empower communities to solve what's directly in front of them.

"This isn't about disruption," she says. "It's about design-designing care that works for real people, in real places."

To read the full interview, visit here.

About Lena Esmail
Lena Esmail is a board-certified nurse practitioner and the CEO of QuickMed, a network of urgent care, primary care, and school-based clinics across Ohio. She is a graduate of Liberty High School, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University. She lives in the Mahoning Valley with her husband and six children and is a recognized advocate for community-led healthcare solutions.

Contact:
info@lena-esmail.com

SOURCE: Lena Esmail