In Mary Conway Dato-on and Eileen Weisenbach Keller, Health Center for the Homeless: Changing with the Times describes the functions, history, goals, and principles of the Health Care Center for the Homeless nonprofit organization. This organization began in 1994 and was founded by Rick Baxley. The man realized that homeless people needed medical care but could not afford it. The organization provides dental, eye care, pediatric care to homeless people and psychological help: “People who are homeless present for care with poor health status, influenced by their physical and social environment”(Johnston et al., 2019, para 1). Homeless people are prone to alcohol or drug addiction, so they need psychological help and further rehabilitation (Duke & Searby, 2019).
The Health Care Center for the Homeless began as an evening clinic for the homeless and later evolved into a nonprofit organization. In 2006, a family medical center appeared, and soon, thanks to a grant, the organization expanded. The organization ran a pharmacy that had medications available to the homeless. The patients of the organization are homeless people, whose numbers continue to grow. The Health Care Center for the Homeless has helped more than 1 million people in need. Donors, according to Burns, the organization’s CEO, can be high-income baby boomers in their 30s and 45s, as well as the elderly. Volunteers could be medical students and health care workers caring for the homeless, helping them get well, and keeping records. The board of directors has 15 members who are involved in counseling activities as well as fundraising. The organization also has several partners, without whom Burns would not have had much success.
In March 2010, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act as the number of uninsured people reached high levels. This bill helped the organization greatly because one of its provisions was funding such centers. With the economic downturn, the organization needed to change its focus and help the homeless and people who have a home but no money for quality health care. This was the only way for the organization to receive proper funding. However, people who were not homeless and applied for help at this center complained that they did not want to be considered homeless. So Burns contacted a consulting company, which prompted him to change the name of the Health Care Center for the Homeless and the design of marketing materials. The organization had had two names – The Health Care Center for the Homeless and The Orange Blossom Family Health Center. Both names caused some confusion: in the first case, the name did not cover all facility patients and offended patients who had a home. In the second case, the word “family” could confuse lonely patients, and the name was too long. The article recommends leaving the name Health Care Center for the Homeless for documentation. The new name used for business is Orange Blossom Health Center.
Since the organization had two names, respectively, there were two logos. People were confused because they thought they were two different organizations. In order to make the organization memorable, it is necessary to create a single logo and name: “Logos are an important element of brand identity and aesthetics, and the management of these brand assets includes redesign efforts “(Walsh et al., 2019, para 1). Since the new name includes an orange tree, the logo should feature it. In addition, the logo should be bright, inspire confidence and inspiration to build a new future, and give an understanding of what the organization does (Jia et al., 2022). The target audience for this organization is low-income people who may be afraid to ask for help. Following these guidelines makes it possible to create a credible organization that will quickly become popular. In addition to the above, it is recommended that the organization develop a slogan that describes what it does. The slogan should be brief and memorable, complementing the name. With all of the above actions, the organization will achieve significant success. Burns concluded that leadership, a clear strategy, and customer focus are important to the organization’s future advancement.
References
Duke, A., & Searby, A. (2019). Mental ill health in homeless women: a review. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 40(7), 605-612.
Jia, X., Dong, Y., & Wang, B. (2022). Logo Design Process and Method of Intellectual Property Big Data in the Digital Media Era. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2022.
Johnston, D., McInerney, P., & Miot, J. (2019). A profile of the health of homeless at an inner city primary health care clinic in South Africa. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 30(4), 1455-1466.
Walsh, M. F., Cui, A. P., & MacInnis, D. J. (2019). How to successfully introduce logo redesigns. Journal of Brand Management, 26(4), 365-375.