Viable Options Inc

INTRODUCTION: STRATEGIC REEVALUATIONSTRATEGICALLY, 2022 WAS IN MANY WAYS A CONTINUATION OF OPERATIONAL EFFORTS BEGUN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.MUCH TIME WAS SPENT BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF THE CURRENT CORPORATESTRATEGY AMIDST A DRASTICALLY CHANGED LANDSCAPE FROM THAT IN WHICH WE HAD BEGUN. PROMINENT IN OURDISCUSSION WERE THE SHIFT TOWARD GENERATION Z AS THE MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES,THE RISE IN TECHNOLOGY DEPENDENCE ACROSS THE GENERATIONS (LARGELY ACCELERATED BY COVID-19 SHUTDOWNSAND RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE APPROACH OF COMMUNITIES TO DIRECT CARE), AND EPIDEMIC LEVELSOF LONELINESS AND ISOLATION--PARTICULARLY WITHIN GENERATION Z AND THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION.WHILE PHENOMENA SUCH AS THESE WOULD LIKELY HEIGHTEN THE NEED FOR AVAILABLE ADVOCACY AND RESOURCENAVIGATION DURING AN UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, THE BARRIERS TO A TRADITIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE MODEL WERE ALSOGREATLY INCREASED.WHEN CONSIDERING THIS IN LIGHT OF THE LIMITATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL CARE IN ALLEVIATING SUCH NEEDS ASISOLATION, FINANCIAL INSTABILITY, SOCIAL ANXIETY, AND LACK OF RELATIONAL SUPPORT, CONTINUING IN A TRADITIONALAPPROACH TO PREGNANCY CARE NO LONGER SEEMED THE LIKELIEST MEANS OF FULFILLING OUR MISSION TO RESTOREOWNERSHIP TO WOMEN AND THEIR PARTNERS.IN ORDER TO EFFECTIVELY REACH THOSE WE EXIST TO SERVE AND TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS FROM THEIR PATH, IT WASINCUMBENT UPON US TO REIMAGINE OUR OPERATIONAL STRATEGY.CONSULTANT ASSESSMENTFOR THIS PURPOSE, WE HIRED AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT WHO INVESTED 240 HOURS WORKING WITH THE EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF CURRENT OPERATIONS AND TO HELP DETERMINE THE BEST FUTURE COURSE.OVER A PERIOD OF EIGHT WEEKS, THIS CONSULTANT DEVELOPED ADJUSTED STRATEGY PROPOSALS FOR THE PURPOSE OFREDUCING BARRIERS TO CARE, EXPANDING OPERATIONAL SCOPE, AND CREATING MORE EFFECTIVE ONRAMPS FORADVOCACY AND SERVICE.THIS EVALUATION TOOK INTO ACCOUNT DECREASED CLIENT NUMBERS IN RECENT YEARS, THE SIMULTANEOUS INCREASEIN DEMAND FOR EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE STUDENT POPULATION, AND THE SIGNIFICANT RISE IN BOTHTECHNOLOGY DEPENDENCE AND POOR MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH WITHIN THE GENERATION MOST LIKELY TO NEEDOUR SERVICES.THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WERE HEAVILY INFORMED BY THE RESULTS OF THIS ASSESSMENT.DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL PREGNANCY DECISION TOOLDUE TO CHANGES IN THE LANDSCAPE OF CARE IN THE WAKE OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS (GREATLYACCELERATED BY SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED AS A RESULT OF COVID-19), WE WORKED TOIMPLEMENT AND REFINE REMOTE SERVICE OFFERINGS DURING 2020 AND 2021.DURING THE ASSESSMENT OF 2022, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT MORE WAS NEEDED IN ORDER TO REACHGENERATION Z, FOR WHOM ACCESSING INFORMATION AND SOLUTIONS DIGITALLY IS PARAMOUNT FOR BOTH COMFORT ANDCONFIDENCE.WITH THE HELP OF TWO CONSULTANTS WORKING OVER 400 HOURS COMBINED WE BEGAN THE FIRST PHASE OFDEVELOPING A DIGITAL TOOL FOR THOSE FACING PREGNANCY DECISIONS THAT WOULD SERVE THREE PRIMARY PURPOSES:1) IDENTIFYING THEIR MOST PRESSING NEEDS, 2) PROVIDING ONRAMPS TO SOLUTIONS AND RESOURCES BEST SUITED TOMEETING THOSE NEEDS, AND 3) CONNECTING THEM TO CORE COMMUNITY THROUGH MEDIATION SUPPORT (PRECEDEDBY A STRATEGIC IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR PRIMARY SUPPORT SYSTEM).2022 SAW THE GROUNDWORK LAID FOR THE BUILDING OF THIS TOOL, BEGINNING WITH IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF THECOMMON NEEDS, VALUES, PRIORITIES, AND EXPECTATIONS OF GEN ZERS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGICQUESTIONS AND PROMPTS FOR CLARIFYING FACTORS CAUSING ISOLATION, PRESSURE, AND DISTRESS DURING ANUNINTENDED PREGNANCY, AND REFINING OF AVENUES FOR CONNECTING INDIVIDUALS TO SOLUTIONS AND PEOPLE BESTABLE TO REDUCE THAT ISOLATION, PRESSURE, AND DISTRESS.ALL OF THIS WOULD THEN BE REFINED, IMPLEMENTED, AND LAUNCHED THE FOLLOWING YEAR.EVALUATING THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBILIZING COMMUNITY MEMBERSFOR A GENERATION EXPERIENCING EPIDEMIC LEVELS OF ANXIETY, ISOLATION, AND MENTAL ILLNESS, THE DEPTH OFNEED FOR SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY CANNOT BE FULLY MET WITHIN A PROFESSIONAL SPHERE; RATHER, TO ENSURELASTING RESTORATION OF OWNERSHIP, SUSTAINED CARE MUST BE SECURED WITHIN THEIR CORE COMMUNITY. AND THISREQUIRES EQUIPPING THOSE CLOSEST TO INDIVIDUALS FACING PREGNANCY DECISIONS PRIOR TO THE DISCOVERY OF ANUNINTENDED PREGNANCY.CURRENTLY, THE FRAMEWORK FOR PREGNANCY CARE WITHIN COMMUNITIES IS ALMOST ENTIRELY CENTRALIZED ANDDEPENDENT UPON MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS. MEANWHILE, THE EMPHASIS WITHIN CULTURE UPON APREGNANCY DECISION AS A MATTER FOR A WOMAN AND HER DOCTOR TO NAVIGATE PRIVATELY FAILS TO ACCOUNT FOR THEEXTERNAL FACTORS IN A WOMAN'S LIFE THAT CAUSE A LACK OF CONFIDENCE AND CONTROL AS SHE CONSIDERS WHAT TODO.THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF NONPROFITS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROVIDERS, AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMSDEDICATED TO PREGNANCY CARE EITHER FOCUS THEIR EFFORTS ON PREVENTING UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES OR ONPROVIDING SERVICES RELATED TO PREGNANCY OUTCOMES. FEW DEVOTE THEIR ATTENTION TO THE NEEDS, BARRIERS,AND PRESSURES WHICH INFORM THOSE OUTCOMES AND THEIR IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS.FULL RELIANCE UPON THE PROFESSIONAL SPHERE REMOVES WHAT IS ARGUABLY THE MOST CRITICAL COMPONENT IN THERESTORATION OF OWNERSHIP--A ROBUST AND ACTIVE SUPPORT SYSTEM.BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN A SOCIALLY ISOLATED GENERATION AND THOSE THEY NEED MOST AS THEY PROCESS THEIRPREGNANCY DECISIONS REQUIRES A SHIFT IN THE WAY COMMUNITIES VIEW AND RESPOND TO UNINTENDEDPREGNANCY AND A GREATER AWARENESS OF THE PRESSURES AND OBSTACLES THAT SO OFTEN ACCOMPANY ONE. ITREQUIRES A SHIFT TOWARD PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY RATHER THAN OUTSOURCING CARE SOLELY TO PROFESSIONALAGENCIES AND PROVIDERS, WHICH, WHILE OFFERING SOME CRITICAL SERVICES, CANNOT REPLICATE THE MEANINGFULRELATIONSHIPS SO CRUCIAL IN ALLEVIATING BOTH POOR MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND TANGIBLE NEEDS.SUCH A SHIFT IS A LONG-TERM GOAL BUT AN URGENT ONE. AND THIS ASPECT OF OUR STRATEGIC EVALUATION SHED LIGHTON THE IMPORTANCE OF STREAMLINING OUR EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE CONVERSATIONS SURROUNDING PREGNANCY CAREAND TO EQUIP INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HOLISTICALLY SERVE THOSE IN THEIR OWN LIVES AND SPHERESNAVIGATING PREGNANCY DECISIONS.CREATING A CAMPUS CLUB MODELIN 2022, IN ORDER TO FURTHER THIS VISION WITHIN THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY, WE WORKED WITH THREE MEMBERS OFTHE LOCAL STUDENT POPULATION TO DEVELOP SYSTEMS AND STRATEGIES FOR FORMING CAMPUS CLUBS DEDICATED TOFOSTERING HOLISTIC DISCUSSIONS ABOUT UNINTENDED PREGNANCY AND PROMOTING A COMMUNITY-CENTRICAPPROACH TO PREGNANCY CARE WITHIN GENERATION Z.ALONG WITH TEMPLATES FOR ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION AND PROCEDURES, STUDENT VOLUNTEERS AIDED IN THEDESIGN OF LITERATURE, MERCHANDISE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT THAT CAN BE USED BY ANY GROUP OF STUDENTSWISHING TO FORM A CAMPUS CLUB.DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL CHURCH CONSULTATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMSAT THE SAME TIME, OUR CONSULTANTS AIDED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESSES AND CURRICULA FOR EQUIPPINGCHURCHES TO PROVIDE TANGIBLE AID AND ADVOCACY TO THOSE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES FACING PREGNANCYDECISIONS.WHILE CHURCHES ARE IN MANY WAYS IDEALLY POSITIONED AND EQUIPPED TO OFFER MEANINGFUL SERVICE TO WOMENAND THEIR PARTNERS DURING THE COURSE OF AN UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, THERE ARE FEW EXISTING FRAMEWORKS FORMOBILIZING INDIVIDUAL CONGREGATIONS TO EFFECTIVELY DELIVER SUCH SERVICE.2022 WAS A PIVOTAL YEAR IN LAYING STRATEGIC GROUNDWORK FOR TRAINING CHURCH MEMBERS AND LEADERSHIPTEAMS TO DEVELOP A ROBUST SUPPLY OF PRACTICAL RESOURCES, PROVIDE ADVOCACY, RESOURCE NAVIGATION, ANDRELATIONAL MEDIATION, AND FORMALIZE SERVICE TO THOSE FACING UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES AS A COMMUNITYOUTREACH.