VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Sentara Health notified employees this week that approximately 200 positions will be cut, causing layoffs, after a decline in Sentara Health Plan enrollments.
The 200 positions represent around 1% of Sentara's 34,000 employees, the organization said, in a statement Friday. However, not all employees in those positions will be laid off. Sentara said it will try to find the impacted employees another role within the company.
The majority of the positions being cut are in Virginia and within the Sentara Health Plans department. Some positions will also be cut in nine other states. The roles span multiple levels as well, but 40% will be leadership positions, Sentara said.
This comes after the Medicaid redetermination process — which redefined eligibility for the state-funded healthcare program — prompted a "significant decline in Medicaid membership across the U.S. and Virginia," Sentara said.
As a results, the company said Sentara Health Plans lost approximately 115,000 members, which is about 16% of their membership. The cuts to the Sentara workforce are due to the lowered enrollment, the company said.
Sentara said they hope to find impacted employees new roles within the company. Otherwise, they are making "every attempt" to offer severance or to teach new skills to employees for higher-up positions.
“These individuals have been dedicated and mission-driven team members and we are grateful for their passion and contributions to the organization and to the community," said Sentara Health CEO Dennis Matheis.
