IEHP's 2024 Mission Conference recognizes Healthcare In Action's innovative approach to healthcare for the unhoused

Navigating the health care system is not always easy, especially without a place to call home.

Launched by the SCAN Group in 2022, Healthcare in Action (HIA) Medical Group is renowned for its commitment to providing comprehensive medical care and social services to homeless populations across Southern California. With 15 mobile healthcare teams serving six counties, HIA specializes in offering full-scope general medical services, addiction treatment, psychiatric care, and case management directly to unhoused individuals using mobile medical vans.

HIA’s delivery of vital health care services, from behavioral health to primary care, has caught the attention of many, including Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), who named the nonprofit its 2024 Creativity & Innovation Award winner during the 2024 Mission Conference.

“Our mission is to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness, [and] we do that through the delivery of quality and consistent healthcare,” said Eddie Menacho, HIA’s Inland Empire Regional Medical Director. “HIA does this by caring for patients directly where they are, whether it be at parks, in tents, in the alleys, under the bridges, or sometimes the desert in the I.E.”

IEHP leaders presented four Living The Mission Awards at the May 3 conference, each with IEHP mission-centric criteria behind it. The Creativity & Innovation Award is given to an IEHP provider, entity or community partner that exemplifies the courage to “break the mold” in pursuit of innovative ways to address the health concerns of residents in the Inland Empire by:

• Daring to experiment and do something to truly shift the paradigm.
• Developing a cutting-edge approach to improve care for our communities.

Since its founding, Healthcare in Action has served thousands of people in the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside as well as surrounding California communities. HIA’s mobile teams are staffed with health care professionals, community health workers and social workers who create pathways to quality and consistent healthcare services and resources that lead to positive changes.

“We want to make sure our patients don’t fall through the cracks,” said Menacho. “If a patient needs medication, we can drop it off to them. If they need assistance getting to an appointment, we can go to the appointment with them. We work to make sure we break any barriers that could lead to any health disparities,” he continued.

For highlights of the 2024 Mission Conference, visit missionconference.iehp.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®. 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). As of 2024, IEHP also offers Covered California plans, further ensuring health care access for even more IE residents. Today, IEHP has a robust network of quality doctors throughout our two counties and nearly 4,000 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.