CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Sentara Health announced a partnership with Virginia Wesleyan University on Monday — they will now begin work on establishing a new health sciences college.
This new department will be dubbed the Sentara College of Health Sciences of Virginia Wesleyan University.
“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 healthcare needs of the communities we serve,” said Dennis Matheis, president and chief executive officer of Sentara Health.
Watch previous coverage: Nursing students in limbo as Sentara College of Health Sciences suspends degree program
No exact timeline was given for this project. In the release, it says details of this plan are "currently being developed" with updates to be provided as they become available.
This move comes in the wake of Sentara discontinuing their degree-seeking programs.
In April, a spokesperson for Sentara discussed their suspension of degree-seeking programs. They said the shift reflects a common model in healthcare where health systems partner with external academic institutions rather than operate degree programs.
Watch previous coverage: Sentara nursing students seek clarity on end of degree programs
News 3 spoke with nursing students in May to get their opinion on the announcement. Many were worried about transferring to a school that may not accept all of their class credits.
A petition urging Sentara Health for more clarity on this change had previously gained traction on change.org. It garnered around 3,000 signatures.
Of the 460 enrolled students at the college, 385 are in degree-seeking programs.
