Solari, Inc. Crisis & Human Services, administered by Chief Information Officer, Mark Griffiths, is an award-winning non-profit organization based in Arizona. They work with communities to find solutions that make it easier for people to get to local services and resources, and they run crisis call centers in Arizona and Oklahoma that are open 24/7/365.
Mark likes to lead by example, embodying servant leadership. He likes to trust but verify, and to be inclusive and transparent. Mark’s team is empowered to solve problems. He tries to inspire confidence in his employees when making their own decisions. He counsels them that “if they are bicycling down the road, clipping the curb is OK, but if you’re going to hit a tree, then tell me!” He encourages his employees to think creatively by providing them with real-world examples and posing questions about how they may apply the lessons they’ve learned to their own tasks. He also applies the same ideas to a group of aspiring women employees who want to be CIOs as he does with his Solari team.
Solari is honored to have been recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by the Phoenix Business Journal for the past three years in a row. The company’s culture-measuring criteria are well developed, and Solari is also thrilled to receive this recognition. Their goal is to “Inspire Hope,” and the people in charge of their organization know that the best way to do that is to start with their employees, who are their most valuable asset.
Mark has identified two key things which he has been proactively implementing with his team: data security and technologies relating to better use of data. Mark says that with proper data security and technologies to make better use of it, Solari can make better, more informed business decisions.
There are multiple factors that contribute to Solari’s ability to differentiate itself from its competitors in the highly competitive market that it operates in. These factors include experience in the management of people who are in crisis and the manner in which the company uses technology to make it simpler for its employees to assist someone who is in crisis. For instance, they have developed their own technology in order to assist in the integration of electronic health records with phone systems. This lets their crisis specialists talk to callers more and spend less time entering data, which is good for both sides.
Their clients’ issues are crises and often life-or-death situations, including suicidal ideation. When they call them, Solari’s trained specialists listen and respond to their specific needs. If specialists cannot resolve issues over the phone, they can connect callers to local agencies that can help and/or send a mobile dispatch team to provide in-person assistance or take the caller to a safe location.
Mark believes the mental health market is not well cared for through the existing standard health care systems. Solari has recognized an opportunity to provide help to those in crisis. Other help could include medication reconciliation in the field to help those in crisis or making EMTs available for cases in which a person has harmed himself.
The future of Solari is bright as they will partner with organizations to increase access to local care and resources and offer innovative technological solutions and consulting services to crisis centers around the country. Mark says that their goal is to be the trusted leader in improving people’s lives and communities through human connection and innovation.
Mark also tries to think about things being patient-centric. Solari focuses on helping their clients recover and/or getting them to their destination. Human-centered design is something he thinks about regularly as Solari’s CIO. He adds that if we design our systems around patients better, we will get better care for them.