Non-profit work can also be entrepreneurship: Enhancing community-based care with Dr. Lisa Levine
Dr. Lisa Levine is the former CEO of the MAVEN project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports primary care providers in caring for vulnerable patients at community health centers worldwide. Her team recruits experienced volunteer physicians, now representing over 50 specialties, who engage with front line providers to strengthen the local care capacity. They aim to fill in gaps where primary care cannot, since patients in some regions experience harmful wait times for specialized care.
The MAVEN Project takes a provider-provider model, using telehealth to foster communication between volunteer physicians and local providers. While the patients do not connect directly with MAVEN project volunteers, they benefit from advice given to the local providers who provide culturally competent care. The volunteer physicians engage with local providers through virtual consultations for advice on cases, and one-to-one mentorship on best managing the demands of healthcare careers. The MAVEN Project also offers resources for learning about current advances in medicine. Thus, the volunteer providers have the opportunity to give back when partnered with a clinic, and they also become integrated into a collaborative and social community.
How the project unfolds
Dr. Levine details the careful process of bringing the MAVEN project to a clinic. As a nonprofit, the organization is funded largely through philanthropy, grants, and family foundations, and some earned revenue of organizations. Community health centers hear about the MAVEN Project through word of mouth and support from foundations, among other ways. Those at the MAVEN Project meet with prospective clinics, looking to better understand their needs in terms of patients, providers, and community demographics. They also assess the clinic’s readiness for beginning work with the MAVEN Project.
Taking it day-by-day
For Dr. Levine, no two days ever look the same, and she finds that this should be the case when you are innovating. She seeks balance on average daily, recognizing that it is not always possible to have a perfectly balanced day. Dr. Levine cites wisdom from a colleague, who advises that despite the frustrations it may bring, having to solve a different problem each day indicates that progress is being made. In such a fluctuating and demanding job, Dr. Levine stresses that it is important not to lose sight of personal commitments. She recommends listing professional and personal calendars listed together and to make sure that time is carved out for both. It also helps to keep a positive attitude with each day. In fact, Dr. Levine has found that the need for volunteer physicians is not something that keeps her up at night.
“In all of the chaos — certainly magnified this year — there are so many people that are so generous and willing to give their time and expertise.”
Advice for Innovators
When asked what attributes healthcare leaders need to succeed, Dr. Levine emphasized flexibility and adaptability while facing anticipated and unanticipated challenges. To best address challenges, you must “fix issues quickly and communicate often, through as many modalities as you can.” She also recommends fixing any weaknesses prior to releasing your product.
“Test, test and test, pilot, and try to break any system or any solution that you are using or you are developing before you go live.”
Dr. Levine emphasizes the importance of having systems in place to evaluate the data and feedback the product receives. This is possible only when you begin by determining what success looks like and how you plan to measure it. When doing so, she asks, “How are we going to truly define success, and what are we going to use as measures or proxy measures, to assure we’re on the right track?”
The MAVEN Project’s Future
Since the organization is currently active in 13 states, the focus is on creating a larger footprint within these states and expanding to places with unmet needs. With COVID, there are over 50 million new Americans unemployed, uninsured, or underinsured, and thus often with worsened conditions. Our healthcare workforce has also burnt out with the difficulties of the pandemic, and these conditions have increased the need for the services the MAVEN project offers. The nonprofit has had incredible impacts thus far, and there is much more to come. As Dr. Levine puts it, “Our job is not done until every community around the country has access to the services the MAVEN project can provide.”
Interested in nonprofit entrepreneurship or addressing healthcare disparities? Check out Spotlight on Women in Healthcare Ventures on Spotify and Anchor!
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Story written by Nikita Gupta.
