Latest news with #Sentara
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-Sentara employee admitted filming people in Chesapeake medical facility's restroom for years, documents say
CHESAPEAKE — A former Sentara maintenance worker charged with secretly filming people in one of the health care company's restrooms for years has admitted to the crimes, according to court documents. Jeffrey Leffel, 43, was arrested May 29 after a woman found the phone, according to a document filed in the case. The electronic device was mounted under the sink with a screw and wire system that Leffel had created, the document said, with the camera pointed toward the toilet. The restroom is in a two-story Sentara medical office building, at 1933 Edwin Dr. in the Edinburgh area of Chesapeake. It's a single-occupant, unisex restroom available to all. A sign out front indicates the building is home to a diagnostic center, medical offices, a therapy center and YMCA. Leffel was a maintenance worker and had been employed by Sentara for about nine years, according to a company spokesman. 'Sentara took swift action to terminate the maintenance worker's employment following his initial arrest,' the company said in a statement issued Friday. 'This behavior is reprehensible, and we are fully cooperating with the authorities.' Leffel's attorney, Mario Lorello, declined Friday to comment on the charges. In an interview with police, Leffel said he 'had an addiction' and that it was women he was interested in filming. He said he used his work phone to make the recordings and would retrieve it later in the day. After reviewing the recordings, he copied the parts he liked to his personal cellphone, according to a search warrant filed in the case. While Leffel told detectives he had been doing it for two to three years, police said they found images dating back to 2021. After executing a search warrant on Leffel's phones, police reported finding dozens of images of adult women, and said they're working to identify victims. Leffel is charged with 42 counts of unlawful filming, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. More charges are possible as the investigation continues, according to a police spokesman. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim, and who used the single occupant restrooms in the building between December 2021 and May 2025, is asked to contact Chesapeake police. Anyone with information or concerns is encouraged to call the department's crime investigations section at 757-382-8256, or send an email to tdreed@ Jane Harper,
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sentara re-launches 'Let's be kind' campaign to reduce workplace violence
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Sentara re-launched its 'Let's be kind' campaign as part of Hospital & Nurses Week. According to a release, the campaign, which first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, aims to reduce verbal abuse and violence against healthcare workers and in healthcare settings. Hospital & Nurses Week is from May 6-12. Throughout the campaign, signs and banners have been placed throughout all Sentara facilities, saying, 'We want to maintain a safe and respectful environment for our team members, patients and visitors.' 'Almost 75% of workplace violence in the U.S. is committed against healthcare workers,' Senior Director for Security for Sentara Health Stephen Hollowell said. 'Hospitals are meant to be safe spaces for comfort and healing. We expect appropriate behavior from patients and visitors, and our colleagues, during all engagements. Sentara is committed to balancing a welcoming environment with a robust safety program.' The release states that, while overall violence is down, the recent incident where deputies shot and killed a man brandishing a firearm at Sentara Albemarle Hospital in early April renewed interest in both the campaign and Sentara's Workplace Violence Prevention program. Some initiatives to come from the program can be found below: Visitor badging systems Weapon detection systems Enhanced security staff De-escalation training Internal reporting and tele-magistrate program Enhanced behavioral health safety in emergency departments 'Sentara is a safer place to work, thanks to our system's commitment, from the highest levels of leadership, to workplace violence prevention,' Hollowell said. 'It's not just by preventing violence but enhancing safety on our campuses and parking areas by eliminating blind spots, pruning shrubbery and upgrading lighting. It is a comprehensive program to enhance safety, so our teams can keep on fulfilling the Sentara mission to improve health every day.' Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sentara College of Health Sciences to discontinue degree-granting programs
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Sentara College of Health Sciences has announced it is looking to move all nursing and non-nursing degree-granting programs to state and regional universities as a part of 'a new path forward' for the school. In a letter posted to the college's website Thursday, college President Dr. Angela Taylor wrote that the school is 'taking steps to align our academic model with current and emerging workforce needs across the communities we serve.' That also includes reevaluating the certificate programs offered by the college. While Taylor shares that the model is not yet finalized, the school is pausing new admissions into degree-granting programs. Taylor acknowledges 'there will be a lot of questions.' 10 On Your Side has already received many of them. 'Sentara College is discontinuing all degree-granting programs, and we need your help,' one student who wrote into 10 On Your Side said. 'Many are just two semesters away from earning our BSN [Bachelor of Science in Nursing], and this decision puts our futures, hard work and financial investment at risk.' Another, Abigail Smith, 19, said the announcement has led to a lot of confusion and anxiety. 'The entire college as a whole was incredibly blindsided,' Smith said. 'Our professors are just as surprised as we are, and they've all been fighting for us and advocating for us. But they as well, I mean, their jobs are at risk. Their livelihoods are at risk. It's a real concern for them.' The college in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake is part of Sentara's healthcare pedigree. Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and southeast, with 12 hospitals and more than 34,000 employees. Taylor wrote the college has 'proudly educated healthcare professionals for more than 130 years.' The college currently offers a Master of Science in Nursing degree, Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Associate of Applied Science degrees in Surgical Technology and Cardiovascular Technology, according to their website. When it comes to certificates a student can earn one as a medical assistant, patient care technician, cardiac electrophysiology and monitor surveillance. Currently, there are approximately 460 enrolled students in the Sentara College of Health Sciences, with 385 in degree-seeking programs, according to a spokesperson. 'All current students will be able to complete their programs, either at [Sentara College of Health Sciences] or through a designated partner,' said Mike Kafka, director of corporate communications and public relations. 'Given the timing of recruitment and admissions, we felt it was important to inform prospective students as early as possible.' Kafka went onto shed additional light on the thought process behind the decision. 'This shift reflects a common model in healthcare today, where health systems partner with external academic institutions rather than operate their own degree programs,' Kafka said. 'Through this approach, we can further foster strong educational partnerships and alignment, while continuing to support high-quality learning and development within our organization.' Smith, who is a freshman in the combined Registered Nurse (RN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, said she was drawn to Sentara, however, not only for its reputation, but also because of its cost. She estimates the two-and-a-half year program will cost her $36,000. She said she priced out a comparable program at a four-year school at $110,000. 'The reputation was probably one of the best out of the nursing programs in this area,' Smith said. 'I mean, we just hear really good things about [it], especially nurses that come from Sentara.' Kafka confirmed the tuition payments will remain for current students who finish their degrees with Sentara or through a Sentara-designated partner. Who those partners are, however, still needs to be worked out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sentara doctor says asbestos on Hampton Roads shipyards can spark tuberculosis
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — While tuberculosis has options for prevention and is curable, more than 1 million people die from the disease on a global scale annually, making it the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, according to the World Health Organization. And with President Donald Trump on the verge of cutting foreign aid, on World Tuberculosis Day, the future of research and treatment looks grim. 'It will certainly curtail a lot of the new treatments that we have for tuberculosis, especially funding in parts of the world that doesn't have the resources,' said Dr. Sherif El-Mahdy with Sentara. Piling on to the problem is a surge of TB now circulating worldwide. 'We are certainly seeing some resurgence of tuberculosis cases now, and a lot of especially drug-resistant tuberculosis,' he said. 'The problem with tuberculosis is that it is a very slowly growing organism.' The treatment ranges from six months up to a year, with many people not completing the duration of therapy. 'That's a real challenge here in this country,' El-Mahdy said. 'It's easier to administer because of all the resources that we have. And in other parts of the world, it may be difficult to have somebody watch that patient take those medicines in the scheduled time. ' El-Mahdy describes TB as a mimic that affects every system in the body. 'Once it sets host in the lungs, it can spread to various other organs,' he said. 'And that's why the classic teaching is that it's a differential diagnosis of any infection in the body.' The amount a person should get screened is dependent up on their exposure — for instance, patients on dialysis, patients who are going to skilled nursing facilities or patients in the correctional facilities where there is a little bit of high risk exposure.. Symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss and lack of appetite. El-Mahdy sees a handful of tuberculosis cases each year. 'One thing about this area too is asbestos,' he said. 'So there's a lot of this because of the shipyards that we have here. A lot of the older folks, the retired folks that have exposure to asbestos and TB asbestos are are also closely related as well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Measles outbreak makes headway in U.S., Hampton Roads doctor weighs in
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A local physician is urging people to take the spread of measles seriously as it has surfaced and is moving through the U.S. rapidly during flu season. 'Measles is a very highly contagious viral infection,' said Dr. Hyeon Choi with Sentara Pediatric Physicians. 'It starts usually with high fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis. You may get some white spots inside your mouth. And then, the sort of the classic, or hallmark, is that you get this rash that starts about day three to five. It starts from your face, head down, and then moves all the way down to cover the rest of your body.' In the United States, a lot of attention is on a major outbreak in Texas. According to the , that one has now climbed to more than 150 cases, including the death of an unvaccinated child. And now, there are new cases spouting up in New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. 'You are actually contagious from four days prior to the onset of the rash,' Choi said. 'So four days after the rash has started, most will recover within one to two weeks. However, many people can get complications from the measles infection, which is very serious — 10% will get ear infection, 5% will get pneumonia, and one out of every 1,000 will get encephalitis. Up to 20% of people with measles will end up being hospitalized due to the complications. And unfortunately, one to three out of every 1,000 will die from measles. Many in the health industry, including Choi, point to lower vaccination rates. Those not vaccinated or who have comprised immune systems and younger patient populations are cited to be most a risk. For the 2023-2024 school year in Hampton Roads, the vaccination rate was 94.2%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'We want the level to be at 95%,' Choi said. 'So we are just under where we would see herd immunity. What's interesting is, the previous year, we were at 95.8%. So we have dropped a little bit now nationally. In all of us for the … previous school year, we were only at 92.7%. So that's where we have to be careful … as we become more complacent about vaccine preventable diseases.' Among medical and religious exemptions, there's another reason as to why parents may be pulling back on vaccinating their kids, Choi said. 'Unfortunately, there has been an increased sort of vaccine hesitancy recently,' she said. 'I think it's gotten worse since COVID, and there's a lot of information and misinformation in the media.' She recommends talking to someone you trust, such as a doctor or a pediatrician, and avoid getting information from social media. Most importantly, Choi strongly advises to get vaccinated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
