RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., April 11, 2024 — Inland Empire Health Plan’s (IEHP) Governing Board of Directors has approved the allocation of $20 million to IEHP Foundation to develop and implement a place-based initiative aimed at advancing population health, economic vitality and well-being in the Inland Empire.
IEHP Foundation anticipates partnering with Blue Zones LLC to develop and launch evidence-informed, well-being transformation programs designed to create sustainable, systems-level solutions that will improve health policies and practices within several targeted communities in Riverside County.
The investment from IEHP is intended to be leveraged with contributions from other health funders and municipalities to maximize the impact of the contribution. Using a coordinated approach, IEHP Foundation is working with Riverside University Health System-Public Health to develop a team of partners to build and sustain the project over the next five years.
“We recognize the importance of evidence-based, collaborative efforts in promoting favorable health outcomes in our communities,” said Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung. “Through our ongoing partnership with Blue Zones, we have identified the right partners to help ignite this project to ensure that Riverside County is a healthy and thriving place to live and work.”
The Inland Empire is a vibrant and rapidly growing region, home to over 4.6 million residents spanning across San Bernardino and Riverside counties. However, despite its many strengths, expanding equitable health outcomes for all residents continues to be a priority. San Bernardino and Riverside counties rank below the 50th percentile in the Healthy Places Index (HPI), which measures a community’s overall health. Riverside County has an HPI score of 39.3% and ranks 27 out of 58 in California state health outcomes.
IEHP Governing Board Member Eileen Zorn applauded the multi-agency collaboration to improve health outcomes through a community-centered approach.
“This is an exciting opportunity to go beyond small incremental change,” said Zorn. “I hope this thoughtful and well-coordinated effort inspires others to do much of the same.”
Coordinating directly with local leaders and organizations, the planned approach directly aligns with IEHP’s strategic goal to increase access to Vibrant Health for all IEHP members and residents by addressing root causes of ill health, core needs and advancing health equity.
“We are excited about the potential this project has to create both short- and long-term change for residents of Riverside County,” said IEHP Foundation CEO Greg Bradbard. “The need is tremendous, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to impact so many individual lives and overall community health.”
IEHP Foundation is also exploring a complementary place-based initiative for San Bernardino County to help improve HPI ranking and decrease health disparities — ensuring all individuals and communities can live healthier and more joyful lives.
About IEHP Foundation
IEHP Foundation is on a mission to inspire and ignite the health of the Inland Empire. Established in July 2021 by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) to help advance Vibrant Health — going beyond traditional health care services and reaching the region’s most vulnerable populations, regardless of Medi-Cal membership. Learn more about IEHP Foundation at iehpfoundation.org.
About IEHP
With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans, the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid public health plan in the country, and for the third year in a row, certified as A Great Place To Work®. Founded in 1996, IEHP supports more than 1.5 million Riverside and San Bernardino County residents enrolled in Medicaid or IEHP DualChoice (those with both Medi-Cal and Medicare). Today, IEHP has a growing network of nearly 7,000 providers and more than 3,500 team members who are fully committed to the vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. To learn more, go to iehp.org.