CNO Roundtable 2026
Q1. What is the biggest issue facing California nurse leaders today?
PRESSING CHALLENGES
Danielle Gabele • Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital
As a leader in a public hospital, the biggest challenge is figuring out how to manage in a very financially unstable environment. It will take a lot of creativity and problem-solving for safety net hospitals like mine to be successful in this next chapter.
Karen Grimley • UCLA Health
Payor changes, insurance denials, and rising underinsurance are limiting access to care, which is pushing more patients into EDs for needs that should have been met earlier, and places a heavy financial burden on hospitals. Nurses are being asked to do more with fewer resources.
Derrek Hidalgo • California Rehabilitation Institute
Burnout and turnover remain a challenge — I constantly monitor the status of our position control roster. My goal is to identify staff challenges, improve interdisciplinary relationships, and continue to make our work environment safe and welcoming for our teams.
Katie Hughes • Casa Colina Hospital
We face many of the same challenges as other organizations, such as additional regulations and continued reporting requirements that can stretch staff thin. We try to ensure that our staff has the support they need so that they can focus on our patients.
Leila Ibushi • Thompson Adventist Health White Memorial
Sustaining RN engagement while addressing burnout. While staffing numbers may be stabilizing, engagement is the true indicator of workforce health. Nurses are managing high acuity, rapid change, and increasing expectations, which can erode morale over time.
Stacie Miller • Henry Mayo
The most pressing challenge facing nurse leaders is a nationwide issue: advocating for nurses while also embracing the rapid advancement of healthcare technology. The critical question leaders should be asking is how to leverage AI to balance innovation with human connection.
Mark Mitchelson • Adventist Health Simi Valley
Balancing rising patient acuity with finite resources. The solution lies in thoughtful operational design: leveraging technology appropriately, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensuring that nurses are practicing at the top of their licenses.
Theresa Murphy • USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
I believe financial headwinds are the most pressing challenge in Southern California.
Jinhee Nguyen • Huntington Health
Navigating the rapid acceleration of technology and AI. Too often, technology is rolled out before it’s been fully vetted. AI-driven tools have enormous potential, but the challenge is ensuring that they actually simplify care, and piloting innovations in safe, intentional ways.
Scholastica Ogomaka • Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park
Sustaining a strong nursing workforce amid ongoing change and evolving patient needs. Our focus is on listening, ensuring safety, and equipping nurses with the resources they need to deliver high-quality care.
Jaime Reiter • USC Care Medical Group
Significant workforce instability: the emotional and physical toll of the pandemic; nurses leaving direct patient care; rising patient acuity; and workplace incivility and violence. Nurse leaders are having to build personal resilience in real time while leading exhausted, short-staffed teams.
Joyce Volsch • Redlands Community Hospital
Stabilizing the workforce: recruiting and retaining experienced nurses while addressing burnout. There is an opportunity to invest in sustainable staffing models and a culture that supports wellbeing, but this need is in direct competition with other financial priorities.
Lesley Wininger • Glendale Memorial Hospital
The single most pressing challenge is staffing shortages, stemming from an aging workforce, the scarcity of nursing instructors, and highly competitive markets with higher living costs. Economic shocks such as recessions and pandemics have significantly amplified these issues. ■
View this article in the May 2026 Flip Mag.
In this Article: Leadership and Management
