The (A) case presents a 2009 crucial expansion decision for health care non-profit Health Leads: whether to grow quickly while it had momentum, powerful advocates, really high demand for its services, and funder support for growth; or whether to postpone accelerated expansion and keep working on its model and further demonstrate the business's value to hospitals and practices.
Founded by Rebecca Onie (2009 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow), Health Leads addressed problems at the intersection of health and poverty. The organization operated "Help Desks" in hospitals and practices to connect patients to crucial non-medical resources that could improve their wellness, including sufficient food, heating, and housing. The variables that Health Leads contemplated in making its expansion conclusion included: its role as a mission-based nonprofit and its desire to make a national impact; the extremely high demand for new Health Leads Help Desks (up to 500 requests a year); funder growth expectations; concerns about diluting the culture and the brand; as well as the need for more data to prove the company's financial worth to hospitals and clinics.
Health Leads additionally needed to decide what expansion would look like if it determined to take that path. Would it mean adding desks in cities in which it managed or growing to new cities? If Health Leads grown, how fast should it do so? The (B) case describes the company's strategic decision and its own impact, and presents the standing of Health Leads in the summer of 2013.
PUBLICATION DATE: December 07, 2013 PRODUCT #: SM192-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about LEADERSHIP & MANAGING PEOPLE
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