Walk To End Alzheimer's brings hundreds to IEHP headquarters

The 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s brought hundreds to Inland Empire Health Plan’s Rancho Cucamonga headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 19, to raise awareness in support of the Alzheimer’s Association and its mission.

A carnival-themed atmosphere centered on the IEHP breezeway served as a friendly welcome to the crowd, who was decked out in purple, the cause’s official color. Many took time to swap stories, snap selfies and participate in a few carnival games before the walk.

“I left a career that I loved to do something more meaningful [because] Alzheimer’s affected my great-grandmother, my grandmother,” said Tasha Bailey, walk manager for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Inland Empire and Temecula region. “It means a lot to me to see the awareness and the amount of people here today. I just get emotional thinking about it.”

This year marked IEHP’s first as a host site of the walk, which brings in thousands of dollars each year to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s care, support and research efforts. Prior to publication, the local walk raised more than $141,000 toward the cause.

“As we continue to grow, I just truly believe the funds that are raised here in the I.E. is going to keep the support and research going, the toll-free lines open 24/7 in all languages,” Bailey said. “Yes, there’s a large crowd here, but this is only a fraction of what the I.E. consists of. So, just to be able to promote the walk and see it grow, I just know that we’ll have more breakthroughs and more hope, and just one day we’ll find a cure.”

Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, which is a type of brain disease caused by damage to nerve cells in the brain. These cells are essential to all human activity, from thinking to walking, according to the association.

The nonprofit estimates 1 in 3 seniors will die from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The disease kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

To learn more, go to www.alz.org.

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®. In its 27th year, 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 6,800 providers and more than 3,000 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.