Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. Sentara wants to get a one-year approval to run a trauma center in Williamsburg. (Photo via Sentara Health)
Sentara Williamsburg receives provisional Level 3 trauma center designation
Nick McNamara
Williamsburg Reporter
Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center is stepping up local emergency care after officially earning a provisional Level 3 trauma center designation.
The upgrade means an operating room inside the facility can now be prepped within 30 minutes of an emergency, cutting down stressful, long-distance ambulance rides to Richmond or Newport News.
More than 87% of James City County residents have lived in what experts call a trauma center desert.
A young sailor died by suicide. Her family blames health care gaps and long deployment.
Jaimie Bethea, a 21-year-old mass communication specialist, died by suicide in June. (Photo courtesy of Arianna Calderon)
Navy communication specialist Jaimie Bethea died by suicide on board the USS Fort Lauderdale in June following an extended 11-month deployment in the Caribbean.
Bethea's family and friends revealed she struggled with ongoing mental health crises, inconsistent access to prescribed medication and persistent anxiety stemming from repeated deployment extensions and grief over her mother's recent death.
The tragedy highlights broader challenges across the fleet, where prolonged deployments and a severe shortage of shipboard mental health professionals continue to strain sailors' well-being.
Rooftop solar program offering discounts for Virginia households
Solar panels installed by Convert Solar in Virginia Beach. (Photo by Katherine Hafner)
A newly expanded statewide initiative called Switch Together is helping Virginia households adopt rooftop solar energy at significantly lower costs.
Run by the national nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, the program lowers installation prices by pooling consumer demand and running a competitive reverse auction among vetted installers.
The program offers bulk discounts around 20% to 30% below market value. Officials say the savings are especially critical after the Trump administration recently revoked federal solar tax credits.
Thank you for being a part of the WHRO journalism community! If you benefited from this email, forward it to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to be one of the first people get the most important local news every weekday.
Copyright 2026 WHRO Public Media | 5200 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk VA 23508 | 757.889.9312 | news@whro.org | Who funds us?
You received this email because you signed up for the WHRO News newsletter from WHRO Public Media. | WHRO Public Media
