Sentara Healthcare - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Sentara Healthcare is Medium Risk.

Sentara Healthcare (Sentara) is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Sentara occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Sentara has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Sentara does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. The company’s charitable giving focuses on addressing “social determinants of health”, fostering “equitable health”, and addressing “health disparities magnified by the impact of COVID-19 on underserved populations” (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Sentara offers unconscious bias and DEI training to its employees (1). Sentara does not publish a nondiscrimination policy (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

In 2022, Sentara hosted a webinar titled “Transgender & Non-Binary Experiences with Healthcare” (1). Sentara supports DEI within its business practices, employing a Chief Diversity Officer (2). It also hosts a Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Competency (3). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Sentara using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

All 12 Sentara hospitals were acknowledged as leaders in LGBTQ+ healthcare by the 2020 Healthcare Equality Index (1). This indicates, among other things, the medical centers “offer transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to their employees”, which includes coverage for hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers, and gender reassignment surgeries for employees and their children (2). Sentara has supported the YWCA (3)(4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Sentara using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Sentara does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).