When a regional healthcare system is navigating rapid growth, leadership transitions, and increasing reliance on contingent labor, even the most experienced teams can benefit from greater structure, visibility, and alignment.
That was the opportunity facing Mohawk Valley Health System.
Mohawk Valley Health System is a leading healthcare provider in Central New York, serving a diverse patient population across acute and community-based settings. As the organization continued to grow and transition into a new facility, it identified an opportunity to strengthen workforce operations and bring greater consistency to its contingent labor strategy.
Recognizing both the complexity of the environment and the potential to elevate workforce operations, HWL deployed an onsite Contingent Workforce Program Manager, a high-touch, dedicated resource designed to bring clarity, control, and strategic alignment to contingent labor management.
What followed was not just optimization. It was transformation.
Recognizing the Opportunity for Greater Alignment
Prior to HWL’s onsite engagement, the health system was managing a dynamic contingent workforce environment with multiple stakeholders, evolving needs, and opportunities to enhance consistency across processes.
Like many healthcare organizations operating at scale, opportunities existed to:
As outlined in the case study, addressing these areas would not only improve operational efficiency, but also enable more strategic workforce decision-making.
HWL recognized that achieving this required more than a traditional program structure. It required onsite expertise and real-time partnership.
Onsite Expertise: The Power Behind the Model
At the core of this transformation was not just the decision to place an onsite resource, but who HWL placed in that role.
Madison Marshall brought a unique blend of clinical operations exposure and talent acquisition leadership, with hands-on experience supporting nursing leadership, HR, and executive teams. Her background, spanning hospital operations, nursing administration, and full-spectrum recruiting, positioned her to understand both the clinical realities and workforce dynamics at play.
This dual perspective proved critical.
Rather than functioning as a coordinator, Maddie stepped in as a true workforce partner, capable of navigating staffing strategy, operational workflows, and frontline challenges simultaneously.
“We partnered closely with the team to enhance consistency and visibility across the program, introducing streamlined workflows, improving insight into active assignments, and building processes that support long-term, sustainable workforce management.”
Madison Marshall, HWL Onsite Contingent Workforce Program Manager
From the outset, her focus was on introducing structure without disruption, working alongside HR and nursing leadership to implement processes that would strengthen the program over time.
From Presence to Partnership
Maddie’s onsite presence quickly evolved into something more than support. It became a critical extension of the organization itself.
Through consistent, in-person engagement, she was able to:
This level of engagement helped bridge the gap between departments that often operate independently, creating a more connected and coordinated workforce strategy.
For clinical leaders, the impact was immediate and meaningful:
“An onsite resource has been a game-changer for our Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This real-time support has been crucial for addressing urgent staffing needs and resolving personnel issues swiftly, which has significantly boosted unit morale. The direct communication has allowed for clear operational goals and proactive planning.”
Arica Briggs, MBA, MSN, RN, Senior Nurse Manager ICU/VAT, Mohawk Valley Health System
This partnership allowed nursing leaders to remain focused on patient care, while ensuring workforce needs were being proactively managed.
From Reactive Staffing to Proactive Workforce Strategy
Before HWL’s onsite engagement, staffing decisions were often driven by immediate demand.
With Maddie onsite, the organization gained a more structured and forward-looking approach.
Through consistent rounding, stakeholder alignment, and data visibility, the program evolved to include:
Equally important, leaders gained a reliable and consistent forum for workforce planning and issue resolution.
This shift enabled the organization to move beyond reactive staffing toward a more sustainable, strategic workforce model.
The HWL Difference: White-Glove Workforce Management
This engagement reflects HWL’s commitment to delivering more than a solution. It is about how the solution is delivered.
By placing dedicated expertise onsite, HWL provides:
In complex healthcare environments, this level of engagement ensures that organizations do not just gain insights, they gain measurable outcomes and lasting improvements.
A Model for What’s Possible
Today, Mohawk Valley Health System operates with greater control, visibility, and alignment across its contingent workforce program.
What began as an opportunity to enhance processes has evolved into a model for strategic workforce management, powered by partnership, expertise, and execution.
HWL’s onsite approach demonstrates a clear reality:
When the right expertise is in place at the right time, workforce challenges do not just improve, they transform.