Sentara, VWU sign letter of intent for health sciences college

Sentara Health and Virginia Wesleyan University plan to establish a new health sciences degree program at the Virginia Beach private college, according to a Monday announcement.

The Norfolk health system and VWU signed a letter of intent to create the Sentara College of Health Sciences of Virginia Wesleyan University. The announcement comes after Sentara said in April it would end its degree programs at the Sentara College of Health Sciences in Chesapeake, instead transitioning those programs to state and regional universities.

“We look forward to working closely with Virginia Wesleyan University to create new opportunities for students, expand access to in-demand programs and help meet the growing health care needs of the communities we serve,” Dennis Matheis, president and CEO of Sentara Health, said in a statement Monday.

Sentara College of Health Sciences currently has 238 degree-seeking students enrolled in nursing, cardiovascular technology and surgical technology programs, according to a Sentara spokesperson. It also has 20 students enrolled in a patient care technician summer program and has 100 students admitted to certificate programs that begin in the fall. 

Current students at Sentara’s college in Chesapeake, according to the health system, will be able to complete their programs “either at SCOHS or through a designated partner.” Sentara’s college will continue to offer certificate classes.

Details of the proposed collaboration between Sentara and VWU are still being worked out.

“We are honored to expand our longstanding partnership with Sentara Health through the establishment of the Sentara College of Health Sciences of Virginia Wesleyan University,” Scott D. Miller, VWU’s president, said in a statement. “This bold step reflects our shared commitment to addressing critical health care workforce needs while advancing access to high-quality education. By uniting Sentara’s rich legacy of health care excellence with Virginia Wesleyan’s academic infrastructure and student-centered mission, we are creating a powerful model for the future of health sciences education in Coastal Virginia and beyond.”

In 2025, Virginia has a demand for 82,540 registered nurses, but only 57,720 folks to fill those jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. Nursing isn’t the only health field facing a worker shortage. Most health care jobs in Virginia, from medical laboratory technicians to physical therapists, are also in short supply.

Virginia Wesleyan University has 1,674 undergraduate students and 131 graduate students. A not-for-profit health system, Sentara operates 11 hospitals in Virginia and one in northeastern North Carolina. It has 34,000 employees. The Sentara Health Plans insurance division has more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida.