Alameda Health System (AHS) serves a vital and complex role in Northern California’s healthcare landscape. As a safety-net health system housing the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center in Alameda County and several community hospitals, staffing challenges are nothing new. The ongoing nurse shortage turned those pressures into an urgent, system-wide reckoning.
Romoanetia (Ro) Lofton, Chief Clinical Officer, at AHS saw the writing on the wall: traditional hiring methods weren’t built for today’s realities. Clinical units remained under-supported. Qualified candidates weren’t showing up. And the pace of recruitment couldn’t keep up with the pace of patient need.
That’s when AHS partnered with Incredible Health. What happened next? A hiring transformation rooted in collaboration, speed, and mission alignment.
The wake-up call: “We couldn’t hire experienced nurses fast enough.”
When the nurse staffing crisis reached an inflection point, Ro and her team faced a hard truth: their existing hiring processes weren’t built for a market this competitive.
“The biggest catalyst? We couldn’t get the right nurses in the door. We were under pressure from the bedside to the boardroom and we had to act fast.”
Alameda’s most critical vacancies were going unfilled, particularly in high-need areas like emergency care and labor and deliver (L&D). Even top-tier roles at the trauma center were unstaffed.
Through Incredible Health’s marketplace of pre-vetted nurses, AHS quickly started seeing something they hadn’t seen in a while: hope.
- 30% of hires matched through Incredible Health now support the Level I trauma center.
- 21% of new hires relocated from out of state, bringing fresh talent from New York, Texas, Georgia, and beyond.
- 70% of hires have been for hard-to-fill specialties like L&D, ICU, cardiac, and emergency care.
Technology that moves with intention
Success starts with intentionality, and organizations that win move with speed and clarity. The health systems hiring top talent today are the ones asking hard questions about what nurses actually want and then designing their hiring experiences around those answers.
That includes:
-Streamlining cumbersome interview processes.
-Offering flexible schedules, mental health benefits and specialized training.
-Listening to why nurses stay or leave.
For AHS, that meant not just leveraging technology, but also reworking the internal culture and workflows that surround them.
“Incredible Health felt like a dating app,” Ro shared. “But the kind that gets you a serious commitment.”
It wasn’t just talk: Nearly half of Alameda’s hiring successes come through Direct Connect, a feature that allows nurses to proactively express interest in specific employers. That level of affinity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s branding, alignment, and clinical culture, all working together.
A culture shift on every floor
Transformations like this go deeper than metrics. They require overcoming fear, building buy-in, and aligning people who haven’t always worked closely together. “Like most new tools, there were real hesitations,” Ro shared. “But once our first recruiter saw how intuitive and powerful the service was, that energy spread.”
Utilization followed momentum. And what began as a small initial roll out, quickly scaled across recruitment and clinical leadership. Today, AHS conducts weekly recruiter–hiring manager check-ins and integrates technology into onboarding, reporting, and interview workflows with far greater fluidity. “The difference isn’t just about speed. It’s how unified the whole team feels,” Ro said.
Rethinking retention
Speed is essential, but nurse retention is everything. For AHS, building a supportive environment starts well before a nurse’s first shift.
“Onboarding is the beginning of every retention story,” Ro explained. “We want nurses to feel connected, known, and prepared.”
Incredible Health helped bring in more experienced candidates — healthcare professionals averaging nine years of experience and, in one case, nearly four decades of expertise in case management. But retaining them required real investment.
Alameda Health System tackled this by:
-Launching a Transition to Practice program to help nurses move across specialties.
-Offering education stipends, career development tracks and generous PTO policies.
-Aligning flexibility with operations, so nurses gain autonomy without compromising care.
Retention doesn’t happen passively. It’s a strategy that is as vital to patient care as any clinical protocol.
Breaking silos, building teams
A key piece in AHS’ strategy was in bridging HR with the clinical side of the house. “We used to work in silos,” Ro said. “But to recruit the right nurses, that had to change.” This resulted in structured weekly workflows, shared accountability metrics, and dedicated time to prepare frontline leaders. Interview schedules moved from reactive to proactive. Feedback loops became expected, not optional.
And with consistent reporting, like showing hiring outcomes powered by Incredible Health, Ro ensures every stakeholder knows what’s working and why it matters.
Looking ahead
For Ro, the future of hiring is about sustaining momentum. That means protecting a pipeline, closing vacancy gaps, and continuing to recruit for mission and skill —without compromising patient outcomes.
“Nurses are the backbone of our health system. When they’re supported, everybody wins, including patients, peers and communities alike.”
Her advice for other health systems still hesitant to adopt new hiring models?
“Fast doesn’t mean reckless. But slow isn’t safe, either. Delayed action costs more, in money, morale and care. Making a shift isn’t just smart, it’s necessary.”
Ready to transform your hiring and retention strategy with Incredible Health? Reach out today.
of hires matched through Incredible Health now support the Level I trauma center.
of new hires relocated from out of state, bringing fresh talent from New York, Texas, Georgia, and beyond.
of hires have been for hard-to-fill specialties like L&D, ICU, cardiac, and emergency care.
Romoanetia (Ro) Lofton
Chief Clinical Officer
Romoanetia Lofton is a strategic healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience leading complex hospital operations and advancing nursing practice. As Chief Clinical Officer at Alameda Health System, she oversees clinical services across multiple campuses with a strong focus on nursing excellence, patient safety, and operational efficiency.
Romoanetia is recognized for her collaborative leadership style and expertise in nursing leadership, successfully partnering with physicians, staff, and unions to drive quality improvement and enhance patient-centered care. She holds a Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership and blends clinical expertise with strategic business insight to transform healthcare delivery.
Ro is a passionate advocate for nursing practice and in her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading a good book and spending time with family and friends.
