Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Amy King, Chief Human Resources Officer at Denver Health
Host: Kelly Gooch, Becker’s Healthcare
Date: September 24, 2025
Overview
This episode features Amy King, CHRO at Denver Health, in a concise but wide-ranging discussion about healthcare workforce strategy, trends, and leadership. The conversation covers the evolving demands on healthcare HR, the impact of technology, burnout, pipeline challenges, innovative wellbeing programs, Denver Health’s mission, and actionable advice for emerging healthcare leaders—all through the lens of a safety net health system serving the Denver and Rocky Mountain region.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Amy King's Background and Denver Health's Mission
(00:37 – 01:14; 07:28 – 09:56)
- Amy has 30 years of HR leadership in healthcare and higher ed, with deep engagement in workforce culture, engagement, and coaching.
- Denver Health is described as an “integrated health system” with a “palpable mission”: providing equitable, high-quality care for all, regardless of ability to pay, while also training future healthcare professionals and conducting community research.
- Key stats: ~$1.5B budget, 8,500 employees, 130 medical specialties, 550-bed hospital, 19 school-based health centers, 10 community health centers, and 1.44M annual patient visits.
- Amy is energized by the organization’s “grit”, resilience, and community focus.
- “Our mission is so embedded in our focus... the mission is palpable here. It's so cool.” —Amy King (07:42)
2. Workforce Trends Shaping Healthcare HR
(01:25 – 06:54)
a. Competition for Talent & Workforce Evolution
- Nursing, behavioral health, and provider roles especially competitive.
- Denver Health is “[trying] to be super creative in our workforce development space and looking three and five years out,” building talent pipelines in partnership with educational institutions. (02:10)
- Investing in students and trainees early, even when the payoff won’t come for years, is critical.
b. Burnout & Employee Wellbeing
- Burnout remains an urgent, top-tier concern—especially post-COVID—requiring a proactive, sustainable, “supportive culture.”
- RESTORE: Denver Health’s in-house division for workforce mental wellbeing offers 24/7 peer support, psychological first aid, on-site services, drop-in group support, training on resilience and trauma-informed care, and more.
- “RESTORE... focuses on promoting and sustaining the well being—the mental well being—of our workforce... It’s truly, truly an incredible program.” —Amy King (04:11)
c. Technology, AI, and Analytics in HR
- AI and analytics are “shifting human resources from being reactive to proactive, which is oftentimes a challenge for HR organizations.” (05:10)
- Technology is reshaping talent engagement and workforce planning.
d. The Challenge of Change
- The rate of change is “unprecedented and different” now, not just because of COVID but due to rapid AI adoption, regulatory pressures, and changing employee expectations.
- HR must support leaders to “lead through that environment for their teams... absolutely critical.” (06:37)
- “Employee expectations continue to evolve and we want to help with that people purpose-driven work and creating clear mobility opportunities.” —Amy King (06:18)
3. Denver Health HR Priorities
(09:56 – 10:25)
- Focused on strengthening retention strategies, building clear career mobility pathways, and expanding leadership development for both new and experienced leaders.
- Moving HR from transactional to transformational: data-driven, proactive rather than reactive.
- “Sometimes being proactive... seems really easy to speak to but really difficult to put into practice.” —Amy King (09:27)
4. Leadership Advice for Evolving Healthcare Leaders
(10:38 – 13:58)
- Empathy + Accountability: Leaders must “show up with empathy and have accountability; they go hand in hand.” (10:55)
- Constructive Feedback: Quoting Denver Health’s trauma chair: giving constructive feedback “is actually being kind to the individual...if you don’t give it, that individual doesn’t necessarily know what they might need to shift.” (11:09)
- Stay Curious & Invest in Relationships: Continuous learning is essential; “trust will be your strongest currency in times of change.” (11:53)
- Balance Short-Term & Long-Term: Attend to daily demands while keeping focus on big-picture culture building and long-term goals.
- Model Respectful Behavior: Leadership is “always on,” so respect should be constantly visible.
- “I would love nothing more... than to be out of a job because everyone treated everyone with respect in the workplace.” —Amy King (12:35)
- The Privilege of Leadership: “We get to see in [our employees] what they themselves maybe can’t or don’t see in themselves...and help coach and grow our people into more than what they can imagine for themselves.” (13:35)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “RESTORE... is a really, really special space for us. It focuses on promoting and sustaining the well being—the mental well being—of our workforce.”
(Amy King, 04:11) - “AI and analytics... aids for shifting human resources from being reactive to proactive, which is oftentimes a challenge for HR organizations.”
(Amy King, 05:10) - “Our grit level is quite high and our resilience. So that excites me in and of itself—just being able to work here at a safety net hospital where the mission is palpable. Here. It's so cool.”
(Amy King, 07:42) - “Trust will be your strongest currency in times of change, which we are in the midst of for sure.”
(Amy King, 11:53) - “How incredible...that we’re able to get to know our employees...and perhaps most importantly, I love that we get to see in them what they themselves maybe can’t or don’t see in themselves.”
(Amy King, 13:35)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:37 – 01:14 — Amy’s background
- 01:25 – 06:54 — Workforce trends and Denver Health’s RESTORE program
- 07:28 – 09:56 — Denver Health’s mission, footprint, and what excites Amy
- 09:56 – 10:25 — HR priorities: retention, mobility, leadership development
- 10:38 – 13:58 — Leadership advice: empathy, curiosity, trust, respect
- 13:58 – End — Gratitude and close
Tone and Style
Amy King brings a warm, passionate, and pragmatic tone, highlighting both the daily realities and the enduring opportunities in healthcare HR. The overall tone is optimistic, values-driven, and strongly aligned with Denver Health’s community mission.
This episode is a valuable listen for HR professionals, healthcare leaders, and anyone interested in workforce strategy, inventive employee wellbeing programs, and actionable leadership guidance in a challenging healthcare environment.