Neighborhood Healthcare receives 2024 Vibrant Award at annual Mission Conference

Connecting communities to quality health care services is at the heart of Neighborhood Healthcare, this year’s Mission Conference Vibrant Health Award winner.

During the annual event hosted by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) on May 3, Neighborhood Healthcare leaders spoke about the importance of the nonprofit’s work and why building healthier, happier communities can lead to a better quality of life for all.

“We believe health care is a right and not a privilege,” said Dr. Rakesh Patel, CEO of Neighborhood Healthcare. “Health care should be high-quality care that you and I can get, and we do that every day with over 1,300 employees.”

For the 2024 conference, IEHP leaders presented four awards, each with IEHP mission-centric criteria behind it. The Vibrant Health Award is given to a health plan provider, entity or community partner that exemplifies engagement with the well-being and joyful life of those who call the Inland Empire home. This is demonstrated by:

• Passionate participation in raising awareness of and reducing social determinants of ill-health.
• Actively supporting core individual and community needs such as food security, shelter and safety.
• Working to ensure health and well-being are equitably experienced across our diverse communities.

Founded more than 50 years ago, Neighborhood Healthcare provides a wide range of medical, dental and behavioral health services, and educational programming to residents in the region regardless of their circumstances. The nonprofit estimates it conducts close to 415,000 health visits annually.

“Medical care is just a small part of what it takes to keep someone overall healthy and well,” said Patel. “What we’re trying to do is work with them on those social drivers of health, making sure they are linked to food, housing, transportation, and our [Enhanced Care Management] team helps to connect those dots for those patients because if they don’t have that… how can we get better?”

To learn more about Neighborhood Healthcare, go to www.nhcare.org. For highlights of the 2024 Mission Conference hosted by IEHP, 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.