By Gregory J Dees, Marc Boatwright, Jaan Elias
Dr. Glenn Lopez, the founder and general director of GuateSalud, faces cash flow problems and some crucial choices about how to expand his innovative health maintenance organization for agricultural workers in rural Guatemala. The case describes Lopez’s six-year struggle to establish GuateSalud and the organization’s effort to combine business principles with a social mission. Also provides background on the tense political environment surrounding the delivery of health care, coffee growing, and the banana industry in Guatemala–factors Dr. Lopez must take into consideration as he weighs his options.
Harvard Business School, 1995