George Mark Children’s House
Project: Strategic Planning
About George Mark Children’s House:
George Mark Children’s House is a pediatric palliative care center in San Leandro, California, intentionally designed to feel like home. As the first pediatric palliative care center established in the United States, George Mark provides compassionate care to enhance quality of life for children with serious medical conditions and their families. George Mark’s interdisciplinary professional team of nurses, therapists, and social workers provides 24/7 critical care services for children and their families.
Why George Mark Children’s House partnered with Lyons-Newman Consulting:
George Mark recently welcomed a new CEO, Shekinah Eliassen, following the retirement of its former CEO. The organization was eager to define its strategy in this new era of leadership and given the changing pediatric palliative care field and ecosystem. George Mark wanted to take a fresh look at its mission and vision, and decide on the organization’s optimal positioning in the field of pediatric palliative care, in light of systems gaps and challenges for both patients and providers. It also aimed to define and clarify who the organization serves and make important decisions about the organization’s future service offerings.
The process:
We supported the CEO in assembling a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) composed of staff and board members to first explore George Mark’s mission, vision, and unique role, and then define the organization’s strategic priorities and goals. The SPC engaged in research to inform the plan, which included conducting more than 30 interviews with experts in the field and families that George Mark serves. Analysis of this research surfaced key themes and insights that were used to explore possibilities and inform strategic decisions. Our community organizing approach to strategic planning empowered George Mark leaders to deepen their connections with each other, and the staff and board of directors worked collaboratively to design and build consensus on the direction for George Mark’s future.
The results:
George Mark’s three-year strategic plan defines its unique identity, including a refreshed mission, vision, and clarity on whom the organization serves. The plan commits the organization to strategic priorities and goals that the board and staff are aligned on and driven to implement together, including:
Creating programs and partnerships to expand bereavement, sibling, patient, and parent/caregiver support services, and to reach all eligible children with complex life-limiting medical conditions and their families
Increasing outreach and raising visibility so families and referral partners understand and can access George Mark’s services
Creating a unique culture and work environment that is inclusive, diverse, and fosters learning and growth
Growing and diversifying George Mark’s base of support, building a vibrant and active community with more advocates and partners joining the organization’s cause
Strengthening the organization’s core operations and clinical programs, expanding its capacity to serve
What George Mark Children’s House says:
“The collaborative strategic planning process not only delivered a robust three-year strategy for George Mark but also significantly deepened community, connection, and engagement among our staff, stakeholders, and supporters, who were all central in developing the strategy.”
— Shekinah Eliassen, Chief Executive Officer