Looking for a detailed look at Sentara's history? Try the Sentara Historical Timeline
Sentara Healthcare:
… was founded in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1888 as the 25-bed Retreat for the Sick, beginning Sentara’s rich history in the Hampton Roads area.
… is the largest integrated health care provider in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina serving more than 2 million residents.
… is a not-for-profit health care organization whose charitable mission is to provide innovative services to treat illness and disease and to promote the improvement of personal health.
…is directed by a group of community leaders who serve in a volunteer capacity as the Board of Directors.
… operates 7 acute care hospitals: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Leigh Hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Sentara Bayside Hospital, Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center and Sentara Obici Hospital.
… operates more than 100 sites of care, nine outpatient facilities, eight advanced imaging centers. The Sentara Medical Group consists of about 380 primary care and multi-specialty physicians.
... offers a full range of health coverage plans, home health and hospice services, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, urgent care facilities, ground medical transport services, mobile diagnostic vans, and a health and fitness facility.
…has consistently ranked among the nation’s top integrated health care networks in Modern Healthcare’s fact-based ranking. The study, which is published annually, highlights the top 100 integrated health care networks across the nation as selected by SDI, a health information company. (Verispan formerly published the ranking.) In 2009, SDI ranked Sentara Healthcare fourth nationwide after examining nearly 600 networks. This was the twelfth year in a row that Sentara has been listed in the top 10 of the list.
...has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report magazine in its "America's Best Hospitals" survey numerous times. In 2009, the magazine ranked five Sentara programs in its "Top 50" lists: Heart & Heart Surgery (26th) – Diabetes & Endocrine Disorders (45th) – Geriatric Care (45th) – Kidney Disorders (42nd) – Orthopedics (38th). The hospitals recognized were: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Heart Hospital and Sentara Leigh Hospital.
…gives back to the community. In 2008 alone, Sentara provided approximately $157.8 million by funding:
- $137.5 million in uncompensated patient care
- $16.6 million in support of medical education and training
- $3.7 million in community health programs and donations.
That equals more than $432,000 for each day in 2008.
… was honored in 2008 with an Employer of Choice® award by Employer of Choice Inc, which certifies outstanding employers. Sentara earned the third highest score in the history of the award.
...announced in 2008 that Sentara Norfolk General Hospital became the first in southeastern Virginia to be named a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Several other hospitals are working to earn the designation.
...sponsors hundreds of community health education programs for residents from Hampton Roads to Richmond. Programs include Healthy Heart, Eating for Life, WalkAbout with Healthy Edge, Sentara Living Well, Get Off Your Butt: Stay Smokeless for Life, along with hundreds of free health screenings. More than 20,000 Virginia residents participate in Sentara's healthy heart programs annually.
… established the Sentara Health Foundation in 1998 to improve the health and quality of life and to further Sentara’s not-for-profit mission of serving the community. Sentara Health Foundation has touched the lives of many Virginia residents from the Eastern Shore to Greater Hampton Roads through grants supporting community programs. Since its inception, more than $4.7 million in grants have been distributed, serving 339,000 people.
...provides the Sentara eCare Health Network® and has integrated it into several hospitals. The clinical system uses innovative technology to link patient medical information between Sentara hospitals, physician practices and other health care sites over a protected network, enabling the secure sharing of patient information.
...…launched the nation’s first eICU® in 2000. This groundbreaking telemedicine system is designed to reduce mortality and shorten ICU stays. The eICU uses telesurveillance to connect critical care specialists in an off-site control center with staff and patients at numerous hospitals throughout Sentara’s system.
… operates Southeastern Virginia’s first air ambulance, Nightingale; which began in 1982 as the nation’s 38th air medical program. Nightingale is the first air ambulance in Virginia that does not receive state funding. Based at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Nightingale serves a 125-mile radius, flying as far north as Washington, D.C., as far south as Ocracoke Island, east to the Eastern Shore and west to Charlottesville, VA.
…operates the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital; one of five Level I trauma centers in Virginia, that treats more than 2,500 trauma patients annually. Its Shock Trauma Unit was officially recognized with a Level I designation by the state in 1985. The trauma program and the medical staff of Eastern Virginia Medical School's Department of Surgery provide the highest level of care in the region.
… operates the region’s comprehensive solid organ transplant center. The kidney transplant program, which began in 1972, became part of a comprehensive transplant center at Sentara. Today, Sentara performs kidney, heart, pancreas and kidney/pancreas transplants.
…performed the region’s first heart and kidney transplant, in addition to the first open-heart surgery.
… has conducted more than 2,000 total transplants at the center, including more than 280 heart transplants since the heart transplant program’s inception in 1989.
…first in the region to offer patients electrophysiology, angioplasty, laser surgery, stents, drug-eluting stents, repairs of congenital holes within the heart chamber in adults, minimally invasive valve surgery and left ventricular assist device.
…has mortality rates for heart surgery and interventions at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital that are lower and, therefore, better than the standards established by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology.
... is among the top 10 percent nationally in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia -- a leading cause of death among hospital-acquired infections nationwide. Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center has gone five years without a ventilator-associated pneumonia, making it a model for other hospitals in the nation.
…established Sentara Cardiovascular Research Institute (SCRI) in 2005 to advance the understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
… was the first to bring robotic surgery to the region. Surgeons at Sentara Norfolk General began using the da Vinci Surgical System™ for prostate removal surgery in 2004. Surgeons there also were the first to use the da Vinci system to provide minimally invasive treatment in heart surgery patients. The technique has been used for additional types of surgeries, as well.
... .. provides nationally recognized vascular, heart and stroke care, as designated by The Joint Commission with its Gold Seal of Approval and Disease Specific Care Certification.
…offers a full range of high-value commercial health plans including HMO, POS and PPO plans, plus the consumer-driven FourSight® plan for small to medium-sized businesses. Optima Medicare Preferred is the new Medicare PPO that eliminates the need for a Medicare supplemental policy.
... founded the region’s first managed-care plan, Optima Health in 1984.
With more than 25 years of health insurance experience, Optima’s goal is to be a provider that promotes better health, is easy to use and is a great value.
With a membership over 380,000, Optima Health offers a full suite of commercial products including consumer directed, employee-owned and employer-sponsored plans, individual and family health plans, employee assistance plans and plans serving Medicare and Medicaid enrollees.
…In 2006 Optima Family Care received its first national ranking of health plans by placing 30th among the top Medicaid managed care programs in the first national ranking of health plans by U.S. News & World Report.
… enrolls approximately 700,000 in Sentara’s statewide plan for mental health care management and employee assistance program plans. Optima also offers programs to support members with chronic illnesses, customized wellness programs, and integrated clinical and behavioral health services.
…Life Care Division operates 7 nursing centers, 3 assisted living centers, as well as an adult day care center, Mobile Meals program and the only Program for All Inclusive Care for the elderly (PACE) in the state.
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