Impact Report 2021 - Sentara CSR (2024)

Partnering To

BUILD A STRONGER PIPELINE OF PROVIDERS

Sentara partners with educational institutions to address health disparities and foster unprecedented collaboration.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to put a magnifying glass on health disparities, Sentara set its sights on convening higher education partners to address gaps in service and outcomes in both the near and long term.

Announced in January 2021 with Sentara’s $6 million funding commitment and formally launched with a Memorandum of Understanding in August, the ONE School of Public Health takes its name from its three member institutions: Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, and Eastern Virginia Medical School. With each school bringing its unique expertise, educational offerings, and community knowledge to the table, the ONE School will take aim at health disparities through a blend of education, research, and service.

Education

The school will offer collaborative graduate and doctoral programs of study in public health, as well as other continuing education opportunities, with classes available at all three institutions.

Research

The school will conduct regular research into important public health challenges on the local, state, and national levels, while also performing deep dives into local health disparities and how best to address them.

Service

Through the enhanced partnerships between these institutions and community organizations, students and faculty will have more significant opportunities for service-learning and to improve cultural competency skills.

Growing the Number of Diverse Healthcare Providers

In addition to its support of the ONE School of Public Health, Sentara also established a partnership with Hampton University to boost its recruitment, retention, and continued support of nursing students of color.

Sentara’s commitment will enable the university to reduce the burden of cost on students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, launch a mobile skills-building program, and provide stronger mentorship and career placement supports to ensure long-term success.

ABOVE: In December, leaders from Sentara, EVMS, and ODU also signed a separate MOU to enhance collaborative efforts through an affiliated health sciences center and to investigate opportunities to leverage collective resources to better address regional health disparities.

Partnering To

MEET HEIGHTENED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS

Providing peace through a pandemic, low-income and uninsured Virginians have accelerated access to behavioral health professionals and resources.

The Need We All Face

Across all populations and age groups, two years of pandemic living have resulted in record levels of stress, depression, and anxiety — all compounded by national and statewide shortages in practitioners.

With Virginia ranked 37th in access to behavioral health services in the nation, Sentara continues to tackle gaps and barriers to service through its network of community partners.

Conquering the Consequences of COVID-19

Now in its second year, the Virginia Health Care Foundation’s Conquering the Consequences of COVID-19 (CCC-19) initiative continues its work to increase the availability of mental health service providers in areas of Virginia that need it most. In 2021, for example, the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner scholarship program supported 39 individuals with full scholarships to pursue training in one of the most in-demand behavioral health fields. Once their studies are complete, these individuals will then commit to two years of practice in areas with an identified shortage of professionals. In addition, more than half of the recipients so far have been people of color — a critical factor in building trust with individuals in underrepresented communities.

Focusing on Our Most At-risk Communities

In South Hampton Roads, 13.6 percent of adults report dealing with frequent mental stress, which is higher than the national average. Yet, according to the most recent Greater Hampton Roads Community Index data, the region has a lower behavioral health care provider rate than the rest of the state and the nation.

While efforts such as CCC-19 and Sentara’s total scholarship commitments work to boost the number of practitioners in the field over time, Sentara also maintains deep and continued relationships with organizations like The Up Center to ensure delivery of critical behavioral health services needed now. In fact, in 2021, The Up Center provided mental health counseling and services to 837 individuals — with 73 percent reporting improved stress symptoms — as well as substance use services to 108 individuals.

Partnering To

FIGHT CRITICAL DISPARITIES

Reducing gaps in maternal health and early childhood outcomes starts with ensuring greater access to services and support.

Like much of the U.S., mortality rates for Black mothers in Virginia and North Carolina are more than double that of white mothers. From inequitable access to health insurance to maternity care “deserts” to the reluctance of expectant mothers to seek care or report problems for fear of law enforcement involvement, Sentara and its partners continue to address barriers to maternal care through a variety of initiatives.

Bringing Care (and Baby) Home

“Too many newborns have lost their mothers to uncontrolled hypertension, particularly women of color, who are three to four times more likely to die in the postpartum period,” says Trish O’Brien, President and CEO of Children’s Health Investment Program of South Hampton Roads (CHIP).

To extend postpartum care into the home and reduce the risk among women discharged from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with hypertension, CHIP and Sentara partnered in 2021 to launch the Moms Matter program, which will be extended in 2022 to include Sentara Obici Hospital.

As part of the program, CHIP nurses make weekly virtual visits to ensure moms are taking their medications and receiving necessary follow-up care. They also provide health education and screen for postpartum depression and other factors that complicate life after childbirth, including food and housing insecurity and transportation barriers.

In-home visits are also the driving force behind Sentara’s partnership with the Tri-County Community Action Agency in South Boston, which works to ensure better maternal health outcomes through access to prenatal and postpartum care while promoting positive, nurturing, and responsive parenting. Similarly, Sentara’s partnership with the ReadyKids Mental Health Initiative will help provide more mental health screenings and intensive weekly in-home counseling for pre/postnatal depression and anxiety for at-risk pregnant women and mothers of young children in Charlottesville and the surrounding area.

Access and Education — One Member at a Time

Through a proactive approach to outreach, Optima Health and Virginia Premier, Sentara’s health plan subsidiaries, continue to ensure increased access and utilization of prenatal and post-partum care, as well as case management and referrals for social determinants of health factors that can complicate pregnancy and early parenthood.

With a successful pivot to virtual platforms in response to COVID-19, our baby shower program continues to provide education on a variety of topics, including breast feeding, how to apply for WIC and other supports, safe sleep practices, and what to expect at maternity wards.

Meanwhile, through outreach specialists, we screen daily for health risks and refer to community-based organizations who can address both maternity needs and social determinants of health needs.

Trusted Spaces and Faces

Sentara’s partnership with Birth Sisters of Charlottesville aims to amplify the organization’s ability to support women of color at every stage of the birth journey. While virtual training sessions and services helped to overcome COVID-era restrictions, increasing the organization’s capacity to train doulas and lactation specialists hinges on securing a convenient physical space for expectant mothers to access these culturally responsive services and support.

Similarly, Sentara is also partnering with CrossOver Healthcare Ministry’s Women’s Health Program to expand its direct OB and prenatal care service to more medically underserved, uninsured, and Medicaid enrollees in the Richmond region.

“No Wrong Door” to Receive Help

Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) data shows pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder (SUD) are more likely to delay or avoid prenatal and postpartum care for fear of being reported to government or law enforcement authorities — further increasing the risk of poor outcomes for both mothers and babies.

But if women battling SUD aren’t seeking care or reporting struggles with use, connecting them with the services and support they need becomes an ever-increasing challenge.

“Sentara Norfolk General Hospital sees the most at-risk pregnancies in our region, so they know this issue intimately,” says Cynthia Romero, M.D., FAAFP, Director of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Brock Institute for Community and Global Health. For that reason, Sentara is investing in Romero’s vision for a “no wrong door” person centered pathway for connecting these mothers with the services they need.

Developing that pathway, Romero says, hinges on building bridges, collaborating with Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, and leveraging Sentara’s work in the community. These bridges will allow partnerships to flourish with other stakeholders who will be vital to preventing these women from slipping through the cracks, such as the criminal justice system, community services boards, nonprofits, and departments of health and social services.

Partnering To

ENSURE CONNECTIONS TO CARE

Reducing access barriers hinges on increasing points of contact and providing navigational services.

As healthcare providers privileged to serve diverse communities throughout Virginia and Eastern North Carolina, we know the term “access” can mean different things depending on the neighborhood. But, as exemplified by the two partnerships below, increased presence and personalized support remain at the heart of Sentara’s efforts to ensure all have equitable access to care and services.

Building Navigational Capacity

With three locations in Northern Virginia, CASA has established itself as a leading voice serving Hispanic, Latino, and other immigrant communities — many of whom come from lower-income backgrounds, have limited English proficiency, are often uninsured or underinsured, and lack familiarity with health and human service systems in the U.S.

Sentara’s partnership with CASA will allow the organization to further expand its reach in these communities through an embedded Health and Human Services team comprising service navigators and community health advocates. These team members will be drawn from the communities they serve to help connect community members with critical insurance enrollment and healthcare services, as well as assist with building English proficiency, address rent burden, and navigate the social safety net system.

Building New Points of Care

From a long-standing organization in Northern Virginia to a start-up in the Blue Ridge, Sentara’s partnership with the Blue Ridge Free Clinic will support a vital new entry point of care for the community.

Through this partnership, the clinic will be able to increase access to behavioral health services on site, hire a social services navigator, and provide program coordination and support with other area organizations offering dental services, health literacy education, medication assistance, and healthy cooking classes.