Health systems aiming to tangibly support their workforces are launching initiatives to boost engagement and retention. Leaders at Adena Health said they have found success through a holistic approach that emphasizes the “human experience.”
Organizations recognize that supporting workers boosts retention. A recent McKinsey survey found that 41% of front-line nurses who said they were likely to leave their current roles cited not feeling valued by their leaders as a top factor influencing this decision.
Adena Health, a Chillicothe, Ohio-based health system with more than 4,000 employees, says it relies on the “human experience” when expressing how it values its employees
“The ‘human experience’ is not looking at your workforce in one vertical, your patients or your consumers in another vertical, but it’s thinking about how they all connect together,” the health system’s Chief Human Resources Officer Heather Sprague told Becker’s. “How do we show up as the workforce — caregivers, physicians, nurses — and then how do we deliver to our patients that are right in front of us? But then also, how do we engage consumers and create a consumer experience? And so it’s not thinking about them separately anymore, but thinking of them as holistically as possible.”
This means engaging workers in improvement planning to provide a high-quality patient experience. For example, when the health system asks for employees’ feedback, it also validates that they received the survey results. Workers are also asked whether they actively participated in the improvement action plan.
In 2025, 75% of workers reported they were involved in their action planning, up from 67% the year prior, Michele Valentine, Adena Health vice president of human resources, told Becker’s.
Adena Health also saw an increase in workers reporting that survey results were shared with them. Three years ago, 92% of workers reported receiving results, in 2025, 97% did.
“I think that’s very telling — that this is not just this top-down approach,” Ms. Sprague said. “This is really leaders meeting their caregivers where they are, getting them involved, versus telling them what they’re going to do. And that’s had a significant positive impact with our overall culture.”
When it comes to evolving systemwide culture and supporting workers, Ms. Valentine also pointed to strategies at Adena Health that have been effective in reinforcing a sense of belonging and mission alignment among staff.
When employees were asked whether they feel like they belong in the organization, Adena Health ranked in the 82nd percentile. When employees were asked whether they enjoy working with their co-workers and whether their department works well together, Adena Health ranked in the 90th and 88th percentiles, respectively.
“That goes back to the support that we’re providing as an organization — from our executive team and every leader walking alongside the caregivers — when you truly create the ‘human experience,'” said Ms. Sprague.
She said Adena Health also launched an ambassadors program this year, with quarterly challenges for employees. In the first quarter, they were asked to record a video to share on the health system’s internal platform highlighting why they are proud to work for the organization.
Adena Health’s voluntary challenge for the second quarter involved employees taking a photo with a mentor, or someone they consider to be a role model.
“So again, it’s creating that pride point, but then it also [enables recognition of] one another,” said Ms. Sprague. “And it ties back to, ‘I belong here,’ ‘I make a difference’ and ‘I have purpose in my work’ and so ‘I belong here at Adena Health.’ Those are a couple real, tangible transactions that happen because people have the idea of — we should be celebrating all the great things that we do here.”
