Arizona’s healthcare labor shortage is no longer a distant forecast; it’s a crisis. The American Hospital Association reports nursing vacancies up nearly 30% in recent years, with 3.2 million healthcare workers projected to be missing nationwide by 2026. Arizona ranks 48th nationally in healthcare workers per capita and will need 130,000 new direct-care workers by then. Recruitment alone cannot solve this. We must rethink how we deploy the clinicians we already have.
A Personal Story from the Front Lines
One afternoon, I was finishing follow-up calls, those mundane but vital check-ins that ensure patients take their medications and schedule appointments, when an adolescent with an ankle injury arrived. What should have been a routine treatment escalated into a code. I dropped the call, leaving a patient waiting, to manage the emergency. These moments capture the impossible juggling nurses face: life-saving care competing with administrative duties. Every hour spent chasing lab results or scheduling a discharge is an hour pulled from direct patient care. As shortages worsen, these trade-offs become even more dangerous.
AI as a Tool for Expanded Care
We need technology that augments human skills rather than replaces them. Drive Health’s Avery, developed with Google Public Sector, offers a model. Avery is a multilingual AI caregiver designed to support clinicians around the clock. It performs real-time chart reviews, schedules appointments and engages patients proactively. Avery assists with discharge instructions, care coordination, triage and care plan adherence — the very tasks that often pull nurses from bedside.
Unlike generic chatbots, Avery was built for clinical contexts. It provides patients with instant access to care-plan details, medication instructions and symptom guidance while facilitating provider communication. For Arizona’s diverse population, Avery’s multilingual interface helps navigate cultural and linguistic barriers that human call centers often cannot.
Freeing Nurses for What Matters
Critically, Avery does not replace nurses; it frees us to practice at the top of our licenses. Imagine being able to support patients while an AI agent compiles discharge summaries, schedules home-health visits and answers basic medication questions. Instead of spending half a shift on paperwork, nurses can focus on assessing complex conditions, educating patients face-to-face and advocating for their needs.
Balancing Promise with Caution
Across industries, AI’s promise must be weighed against its perils. A recent In Business Magazine article (“AI: A Revolution with Risks,” June 2025) noted that AI is helping doctors diagnose disease and recommend treatments, but also warned of risks like misinformation, privacy breaches and over-reliance on algorithms. I welcome regulatory guardrails. AI must never erode the human connection at the heart of healing. Avery reflects that ethos by keeping clinicians in the loop and prioritizing privacy, accountability and HIPAA compliance.
Trust and Local Impact
The debate isn’t just about algorithms; it’s about trust. Patients must know how their data is used, and clinicians need assurance that AI recommendations are evidence-based. Drive Health supports AI privacy frameworks and calls for clear regulations akin to the U.S. AI Bill of Rights.
For Phoenix business leaders, the stakes are economic as well as humanitarian. Healthcare accounts for 13.7% of Arizona’s workforce and is its leading sector of future job growth. Without innovation, the shortage will weaken both competitiveness and community health. By investing in platforms like Avery, insurers, hospitals and employers can support overworked nurses, expand access to underserved populations and preserve the quality of care.
Toward a Sustainable Future
Technology alone will not solve the caregiver crisis, but AI can be a force multiplier. Avery demonstrates how to deploy AI ethically: handling routine tasks, delivering culturally competent education and providing continuous support while empowering nurses to focus on empathy and expertise. Phoenix has an opportunity to become a national model for responsible healthcare innovation. By embracing AI that serves caregivers rather than replaces them, we can meet the workforce shortage, improve outcomes and preserve the compassionate care that defines nursing.
Leeza Constantoulakis, Ph.D., RN, is chief nursing officer at Drive Health, which aims to make healthcare simple and accessible – anytime, anywhere, for everyone. Its mission is to ease the burden on healthcare providers; build trust with consumers; and simplify healthcare through secure, AI-enabled solutions. At Drive Health, Dr. Constantoulakis brings together clinical insight, policy expertise, and a deep commitment to improving health outcomes. With experience spanning bedside care, health policy and federal consulting, she has worked with agencies and hospitals alike to drive meaningful change — from improving care quality to strengthening financial sustainability. She previously served as chief of staff for Deloitte’s Physician, Clinician & Scientist Community and led healthcare transformation projects within the federal health sector. As a practicing nurse, she worked in a variety of settings, including primary care, urgent care, neurosurgery and disaster response. Dr. Constantoulakis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia School of Nursing and is a strong advocate for designing healthcare solutions that work for both providers and patients.
