Sentara Healthcare has boosted its hourly minimum wage to $15 and is providing across-the-board 3 percent merit pay increases to employees, the organization said.
In December 2019, the Norfolk, Va.-based health system pledged 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. Sentar said it is hitting that target sooner than expected.
"At Sentara, we strive to attract, retain and engage a diverse workforce committed to our mission to improve health every day," Becky Sawyer, Sentara's executive vice president and chief people officer, said in a March 26 news release. "We know our people are our future."
Sentara said it is also investing an additional $43 million in employees via across-the-board 3 percent merit pay increases and market adjustments.
News of the minimum wage adjustment and merit pay increases came days after Sentara revealed it is giving "gifts of appreciation" of up to $1,500 to employees to reward them for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sentara is a 12-hospital system with 28,300 employees. The merit pay increases will take effect in May and affect 90 percent of its employees.