Most of the affected employees are in the Sentara Health Plan division and have been laid off due to declining Medicaid enrollment.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Sentara Health notified employees this week that it will eliminate approximately 200 positions and cause layoffs due to declining enrollment in Sentara Health Plans.
The 200 positions represent about 1% of Sentara’s 34,000 employees, the organization said in a statement Friday. However, not all employees in these positions will be laid off. Sentara said it will work to find other roles within the company for affected employees.
The majority of the positions being eliminated will be within the Virginia and Sentara Health Planning divisions. Some positions will also be cut in nine other states. The roles span multiple levels, but 40% will be leadership positions, Sentara said.
This comes after the Medicaid redetermination process, which redefines eligibility for the state-funded health care program, caused “significant declines in Medicaid membership across the United States and Virginia,” Sentara said.
As a result, Sentara Health Plans lost approximately 115,000 members, or approximately 16% of its membership, the company announced. Sentara’s workforce reductions are due to a decline in enrollment, the company said.
Sentara said he hopes the affected employees will be able to find new roles within the company. In other cases, the company is making “every attempt” to offer severance packages or teach new skills to employees in higher positions.
“These are dedicated and mission-driven team members, and we are grateful for their passion and contributions to our organization and community,” said Sentara Health CEO Dennis Mathis.
