Lea West’s  entrepreneurial vision began with a simple mantra: I don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through.

West spent years alongside her sister and mother caring for her great-grandmother, who was faced time and again with low-quality care, burdensome obstacles to finding a doctor, and non-existent support in accessing placement in a senior care facility. From this experience, West saw that personalized support was key to bridging the gap between healthcare, housing, and essential services. In 2023, applying her background in social work and case management, West launched Harvest Healthcare Solutions, a healthcare resource provider that works one-on-one with clients to connect them with transitional housing, in-home care support, placement in assisted living facilities, and more.  

While West was clear on her goal of helping vulnerable populations access resources, she connected with a business counselor from the California Capital Women’s Business Center (WBC) to ensure that the foundations of her business were solid. Working with Charles Thomas, West wrote a business plan and financial projections that have allowed her to sustainably grow her enterprise. In her first two years of operation, West hired 12 employees and expanded her service offerings to include contracts with Cal-AIM to work directly with Medi-Cal recipients—and in the first four months of 2025, Harvest Healthcare Solutions placed 12 families in transitional housing by working directly with landlords to provide financial and social support.  

In addition to her own dedication and experience with the nuances of case management, West credits her early growth to the support she found with the WBC. “Charles has been such a blessing. He helped me with my business plan, financial projections, he has helped with all of that,” she says. “He’s so attentive, he’s always brainstorming with me. He always has a solution.”  

Looking towards the future, West is optimistic about the momentum that Harvest Healthcare Solutions has built and has plans for continued growth. She is hoping to begin contracting with more insurance companies and expand their reach to counties in Southern California. Most importantly, she has a vision for providing housing to at-risk individuals and families in a more direct way:  “I want my own tiny home community where I can provide housing and case management services to unhoused individuals,” she says, noting that within five years, she hopes to have a system of communities in rural areas with limited resources. “It may be a challenge, but I enjoy a challenge.”