Pathways

Helping a Community Clinic Reimagine Equitable Whole-Person

Care Post COVID-19

Pathways | Minneapolis, MN

challenge

Pathways, a longstanding non-profit that provides free functional healthcare services to patients with chronic and terminal health challenges, was hard hit by COVID-19 and needed to pivot in a new direction to serve the new community's needs. I was hired as the Executive Director to turn this thirty-five-year-old ship around.

Work

I conducted a thorough financial audit, encompassing accounts, policy compliance, the effectiveness of past marketing campaigns, donor revenue going back ten years, and operations expenses. Despite the sensitive nature of presenting findings to a longstanding board, actions were taken to optimize resource allocation, modernize the office building, emphasize community-designed health programs, and advocate for the organization’s inclusive practices.

WorK (Continued)

To explore and tackle these challenges, I leaned heavily on design-thinking principles, my functional health training, and coaching skills, which have always been my go-to for fostering creativity and practical solutions. Here’s how I approached it:

  1. Empathize: First, I immersed myself in understanding the needs, motivations, and pain points of our team and the community we serve. I conducted interviews, focus groups, and surveys to gather insights and ensure everyone felt heard​​​​.

  2. Define: With all that information in hand, I defined the core problems: team cohesion, operational inefficiencies, cultural stagnation, and financial instability. This helped in setting a clear vision and purpose for our transformation​​​​.

  3. Ideate: Next, I facilitated brainstorming sessions and workshops to generate ideas for improving team dynamics, operational processes, and our organizational culture. I encouraged everyone to think outside the box and contribute their creative solutions​​​​.

  4. Prototype: We then developed prototypes for new SOPs, team-building activities, and inclusive cultural practices. These were tested on a small scale to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments​​.

  5. Test: Implementing these prototypes allowed us to refine our solutions based on real-world feedback, ensuring they were effective and aligned with our needs​​​​.

  6. Implement: Finally, we rolled out the new SOPs, team-building initiatives, and cultural practices organization-wide.

results

  • Cost Reduction: As a team, we ethically cut monthly operation expenses by 22%, significantly improving our financial health​​.

  • Vision and Strategy Development: Designed a two-year strategy to lead the organization out of the pandemic and into financial security.

  • Program Expansion and Impact: We expanded our program offerings, reaching 20% more community members and enhancing our overall impact​​​​.

  • Increased Donations: I developed a comprehensive marketing strategy and updated our tech stack to increase donations, which support our mission and programs​​.

  • Deeper Integration of Equity Principles: My leadership catalyzed a deeper integration of equity principles, enhancing fairness and inclusivity across the organization​​​​.

  • Enhanced Program Design: We improved our program design to better reflect and serve the needs of our community, ensuring our offerings were relevant and impactful​​.

  • Enhanced Team Cohesion and Communication: The team became more cohesive and communicative thanks to new team-building activities and inclusive cultural practices​​​​.

  • Operational Efficiency: Implementing new SOPs led to a 30% improvement in operational efficiency, with reduced service delivery times and increased consistency in service quality​​.

  • Improved Organizational Culture: I fostered a culture of inclusivity and psychological safety, creating a safe space for everyone to be valued and heard. This cultural shift improved engagement and satisfaction among staff, volunteers, and service recipients and was vital for our holistic healing mission​​​​.

  • Progressive Sustainability Steps: We made progressive steps toward a sustainable operational model grounded in equity and holistic well-being, setting the foundation for long-term success​​.