Sentara Healthcare has donated $535,000 to 17 health-related programs in Virginia and North Carolina served by Sentara. The year-end donations will benefit a broad spectrum of issues, including behavioral health and substance abuse, food insecurity and healthy diets, education, workforce readiness, medical transportation, EMS services and prevention of hospital readmissions.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to support creative programs in the communities we serve,” says Howard P. Kern, president and chief executive officer of Sentara Healthcare. “Our contributions are directed toward initiatives aligned with the Sentara mission to improve health every day, with a particular focus on social determinants of health, such as food insecurity and transportation. We are happy to support programs that help people lead healthier lives and offer local solutions to specific community needs.”

Programs benefiting from Sentara support are located in South Hampton Roads, the Peninsula, the Blue Ridge region, Northern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

The South Hampton Roads projects are as follows:

• VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads: $20,000 for staffing and software development for VolunTier Vision, to connect high-level talent with agencies addressing pressing needs.
• Tide Swimming: $25,000 challenge grant to support Virginia Beach’s pursuit of a Blue Zones designation for communities where people tend to live longer, better lives.
• ARDX Foundation: $26,250 for development of an eight-hour education program on mental health intervention for college students and students who are single mothers.
• Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore Inc.: $50,000 challenge grant for a refrigeration unit in a “food dessert” to support the Healthy Foods Pantry Program.
• An Achievable Dream: $50,000 for operational support for two Achievable Dream school sites in Virginia Beach and Newport News in 2019.
• Ronald McDonald House Norfolk: $50,000 for renovation of existing communal space.