Lessons from El Camino Health
In today’s healthcare environment, workforce challenges are intensifying—and leadership responses must evolve just as quickly. During a recent HealthLeaders webinar, leaders from El Camino Health shared how they tackled nurse burnout, turnover, and engagement through a multi-pronged, high-touch, and high-tech strategy.
Here are five takeaways worth knowing—and acting on:
1. Preventative Support Reduces Workplace Violence
El Camino launched a “CALM Team” (Collaborative Aid through Listening and Motivation) to address behavioral escalations proactively. The team, led by mental health nurses, identifies subtle changes in patient behavior and helps de-escalate before a crisis occurs.
The result: 60% reduction in code gray events, 32% reduction in overall violence incidents.
“62% responded positively to being a CALM team member and being designated on their unit as someone who has extra skills and extra competencies in addressing workplace violence and escalating behaviors.”
— Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM, Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
2. Mental Health Support Belongs at the Point of Care
The organization introduced an on-site Employee Support Specialist to provide immediate emotional and psychological support to the nursing staff. Whether debriefing after traumatic events or helping resolve interpersonal conflicts, this role ensured staff aren’t left to cope alone.
Over 700 staff engaged with the program in its first year, and managers leaned on it more than expected.
“Rather than waiting for potentially our staff to go home after a traumatic event and not be able to talk about it, we wanted responsive onsite social and emotional services to promote mental health and wellbeing for our workforce.”
— Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM, Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
3. Career Coaching Drives Retention
To address concerns about limited advancement opportunities, El Camino created a Nurse Retention Specialist role focused on personalized career pathing. This leader meets one-on-one with nurses to help define goals and identify growth opportunities.
83% of participants said they planned to stay, translating into $6.5M in avoided turnover costs.
“Of the 23 post-session surveys that Amanda has collected so far, every single one has scored five out of five. And even more significantly important was 83% of those that participated in the career development sessions stated that afterwards they decided that they would stay with our organization.”
— Alicia Potolsky, DNP, RN, NE-BC, DipACLM, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
4. Tech That Prompts Connection, Not Just Compliance
With managers juggling dozens of priorities, El Camino adopted Laudio’s leader operations platform to streamline tasks like new hire check-ins, staff recognition, and performance tracking, while enhancing overall engagement with their teams. By surfacing timely, AI-driven engagement recommendations, the technology makes it easier for managers to connect meaningfully with their team members on an individual basis.
Managers who use the platform consistently have higher engagement scores and drive greater retention.“We’re just delighted to see how the Laudio platform is supporting your leaders and building meaningful connections with their team.”
—Joel Ray, COL, USAF, NC, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Clinical Advisor, Laudio
5. Workforce Well-Being Has a Measurable ROI
Well-being and engagement programs aren’t a bonus—they’re a business strategy. When supported with structure, data, and leadership buy-in, these programs deliver real outcomes across retention, engagement, and safety - enhancing culture, driving workforce stability, and saving millions of dollars for the system.
In just 18 months, El Camino reduced nurse turnover from 12% to 5%—a 7-point drop that avoided over $6M in potential turnover-related costs.
“That turnover reduction of 7% turnover reduction over 18 months is remarkable… All of it made a big difference not only in our engagement, safety, but also in our financial improvement within our organization.”
— Alicia Potolsky, DNP, RN, NE-BC, DipACLM, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health
Final Thoughts
El Camino Health’s story shows what’s possible when organizations take a structured, data-informed, and deeply human approach to workforce well-being. These aren't one-off tactics—they’re scalable strategies that drive engagement, reduce risk, and build a stronger culture.
Want to explore how Laudio can support your leaders? Get in touch here.