Latest news with #SentaraHealth
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New state law aims to protect health care workers from workplace violence
(WAVY) — A new bill taking effect this summer aims to prevent workplace violence against healthcare workers. There have been several incidents over the years of patients acting aggressively towards people who are there to provide help. This new law would give them a helping hand. Sentara Health is actually ahead of the game, having implemented several procedures back in 2022 to guard against workplace violence, or even prevent it. 'It's something that our staff deal with almost on a daily basis,' said Stephen Hollowell, senior director of systemwide security at Sentara Health. The new state law is needed, Hollowell said. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states healthcare workers are five times more likely to be injured in workplace violence than those in any other sector — '[people] who get assaulted, punched, bitten, kicked. We're dealing, a lot of times with people at their lowest point and we have some tremendous, dedicated staff here,' Hollowell said. 'And the irony is, they're the ones that get assaulted.' Senate Bill 1260 states hospitals in the Commonwealth shall establish a workplace violence incident reporting system, record all incidents and adopt a policy that prohibits anyone from discriminating or retaliating against employees who report the incidents. 'We're having our officers trained to carry and utilize tasers where appropriate,' Hollowell said. They've also implemented a line of questioning to see if a subject displays signs of aggression. And they also have new hardware. 'By the end of this month, … 16 of our 17 [emergency departments] will have weapons detection systems,' Hollowell said. He says it's unfortunate legislative action has been needed to combat the violence. 'Unfortunately, given the level of violence we've seen in this country, it's a necessary way of moving forward,' Hollowell said. He said the state needs to take the next step and make any violence against healthcare workers a felony in the eyes of the law. Georgia passed a bill in 2023 that did just that. Virginia's law will take effect July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
WellTheory Partners with Sentara Health Plans to Expand Access to Whole-Person Autoimmune Care
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WellTheory, a first-of-its-kind virtual solution for the 50 million Americans suffering with autoimmune disease, today announced its partnership with Sentara Health Plans, the health plan division of Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system. Through this collaboration, WellTheory will deliver personalized, whole-person autoimmune care to Sentara Health Plans' diverse member population—with a special focus on improving outcomes for underserved communities. Autoimmune conditions, which span more than 100 diagnoses, now cost the U.S. healthcare system over $100 billion annually and account for a rapidly growing share of pharmacy spend. At Sentara Health Plans, a significant portion of medical and pharmacy spend is related to treating autoimmune conditions and many of their members experience the impacts of autoimmune condition symptoms in their daily lives. The partnership, which is projected to cut autoimmune care spend for Sentara Health Plans by reducing costs of expensive interventions, also aims to improve quality of life for patients. 'Autoimmune disease is one of the biggest cost drivers in healthcare today—and yet most people still go years without a diagnosis or effective treatment,' said Ellen Rudolph, CEO and Co-Founder of WellTheory. 'I know this firsthand: I cost my health plan over $20,000 in just one year of my diagnosis journey trying to get answers. That's why we built WellTheory—to fill the care gap for the millions of Americans suffering in silence. We're proud to partner with Sentara Health Plans to bring this model to life for their members.' Sentara Health Plans provides coverage for more than one million members in Virginia and Florida. Its fully insured and self-funded members now have access to WellTheory's 12-month virtual care program, which includes a 6-month intensive phase followed by a 6-month maintenance phase. The program begins with WellTheory's proprietary Root Cause Assessment to uncover the drivers of each member's symptoms and is delivered by a dedicated care team—including a licensed registered dietitian, a board-certified health coach, and a care coordinator—who provide high-touch, personalized support. Members receive individualized care plans, 1:1 video visits, unlimited messaging, access to digital tools, educational content, and a supportive community. 'At Sentara Health Plans, we've always believed that health care should be as diverse and dynamic as the people we serve,' said Dr. Kristyn Greifer, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Sentara Health Plans. 'By partnering with WellTheory, we're taking an important step in offering our members personalized solutions that meet them where they are—especially those navigating the complexities of autoimmune disease. Our members are the reason we do this work, and we'll continue investing in benefits that support their long-term health and well-being.' About Sentara Health Sentara Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates more than 135 years in pursuit of its mission - "we improve health every day." Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 34,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, including 10 hospitals with the prestigious Magnet® recognition, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than one million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named a Health Quality Innovator of the Year (2024), and was recognized by Forbes as "America's Best-In-State Employer' (2024), "Best Employer for Veterans" (2022, 2023), and "Best Employer for Women" (2020). About Sentara Health Plans Sentara Health Plans provides health plan coverage to more than one million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara Health Plans offers a full suite of commercial products including employee-owned and employer-sponsored plans, as well as Individual & Family Health Plans, Employee Assistance Programs and plans serving Dual-Eligible, Medicare, and Medicaid enrollees. About WellTheory WellTheory is a virtual care platform reversing the autoimmune epidemic by filling the gaps left behind in traditional healthcare. WellTheory offers a research-backed proprietary program that addresses the root cause of autoimmunity and treats the whole person with the aim to reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and lower costs. WellTheory's platform centers around evidence-based, high-touch care led by an interdisciplinary team of autoimmune experts, including licensed registered dietitians and board-certified health coaches. It's an anti-symptom-masking model that goes beyond the pill, built by autoimmune patients and validated by decades of clinical research.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sentara re-launches 'Let's be kind' campaign to reduce workplace violence
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Sentara re-launched its 'Let's be kind' campaign as part of Hospital & Nurses Week. According to a release, the campaign, which first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, aims to reduce verbal abuse and violence against healthcare workers and in healthcare settings. Hospital & Nurses Week is from May 6-12. Throughout the campaign, signs and banners have been placed throughout all Sentara facilities, saying, 'We want to maintain a safe and respectful environment for our team members, patients and visitors.' 'Almost 75% of workplace violence in the U.S. is committed against healthcare workers,' Senior Director for Security for Sentara Health Stephen Hollowell said. 'Hospitals are meant to be safe spaces for comfort and healing. We expect appropriate behavior from patients and visitors, and our colleagues, during all engagements. Sentara is committed to balancing a welcoming environment with a robust safety program.' The release states that, while overall violence is down, the recent incident where deputies shot and killed a man brandishing a firearm at Sentara Albemarle Hospital in early April renewed interest in both the campaign and Sentara's Workplace Violence Prevention program. Some initiatives to come from the program can be found below: Visitor badging systems Weapon detection systems Enhanced security staff De-escalation training Internal reporting and tele-magistrate program Enhanced behavioral health safety in emergency departments 'Sentara is a safer place to work, thanks to our system's commitment, from the highest levels of leadership, to workplace violence prevention,' Hollowell said. 'It's not just by preventing violence but enhancing safety on our campuses and parking areas by eliminating blind spots, pruning shrubbery and upgrading lighting. It is a comprehensive program to enhance safety, so our teams can keep on fulfilling the Sentara mission to improve health every day.' Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue debut crisis team to handle mental health emergencies
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — The Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue will debut a specialized unit designed to respond to calls involving behavioral or mental health crises. In collaboration with the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board and Sentara Health, the Community Assistance Response (CARES) Team pairs a behavioral health crisis clinician from the community services board with a fire division emergency medical responder who can respond to 911 mental health crisis calls. The goal is to help minimize police presence and involvement in behavioral health emergencies with a mission of reducing the risk to these individuals by de-escalating immediate stresses and connecting them with appropriate cares and services. The CARES Team will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. The hours may expand based on operational data and community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Two bacterial infections spiking in U.S., one appearing in Hampton Roads
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Two bacterial infections are now among the list of illnesses spiking in the U.S. in the thick of a measles outbreak. Eyes in the medical industry are also laser-focused on an invasive group of A streptococcus and whooping cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning that the form of strep is on the rise, with numbers doubling in the U.S. Meantime, whooping cough cases are popping up at a rate four times faster than the previous year. Both are very different infections, but they do have a few commonalities, starting with how they spread through respiratory droplets. Sentara Health Urgent Care Physician Assistant Keshia Brown points to the increase of both infections to the end of COVID-19 mitigation regulations, less social distancing and a lax effort on overall hygiene. 'We're seeing a resurgence, as well as just the decrease in the amount of vaccinations,' she said. 'And then people who are vaccinated, they have a waning immunity, so those things can affect the amount of bacteria that develop.' Virginia accounts for nearly 800 of the 35,000 whooping cough cases circulating in the country in 2024, per the . On the other side of the fence, a lethal group of A strep cases totaled 667, a vast difference from just 293 cases in 2022, according to the . 'They're both caused by bacteria,' Brown said. 'But strep, of course, can present differently than whooping cough. Generally with strep, you don't have a cough. And most people have a fever, a sore throat. They can see pus pockets on their tonsils. But then with whooping cough, they can generate a cough that becomes a weeping-like cough … and they just present very differently.' Both infections can become life-threatening if left untreated. Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia and other complications. While the invasive group of A strep could worsen to kidney disease or toxic shock syndrome, which can be fatal. Brown said currently, Sentara Health Urgent Care is seeing a rise locally in strep cases, but not whooping cough at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
