Sentara pledges to reach $15 minimum wage by 2022

Emily Rappleye -

Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare plans to increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 2022 for all staff, including those who work for its health plan, Optima Health, the system announced Dec. 31. 

"We are proud to offer market-competitive pay and benefits to our employees to ensure that they are earning livable wages," Howard Kern, president and CEO of Sentara, said in a press release. "Sentara is committed to rewarding our more than 28,000 team members for their dedication to our mission to improve health every day."

The health system is one of the largest employers in Virginia. Sentara's announcement comes days after another health system with a large presence in the state, Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, committed to raising minimum wage to $15 per hour.

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