IEHP Chief Medical Officer Lauded As Pioneering Changemaker

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Jennifer Sayles, MD, MPH Chief Medical Officer of Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), is featured as a pioneering changemaker who is redefining how health plans blend patients’ and social needs on a new social network site that champions the health of vulnerable populations.

HealthBegins (healthbegins.org), was founded by doctors and public health innovators as a “think-and-do-tank” to address communities’ social determinants of health through education, technology and consultancy services. A new series on the site’s blog, Upstreamists in Action, debuted March 20, 2018 with a profile of Dr. Sayles. Her full interview can be accessed in its entirety at https://www.healthbegins.org/blog-posts/a-health-plan-executive-tears-down-walls-to-unify-medical-and-behavioral-care.

Dr. Sayles said without food, housing, transportation and social stability patients lack the necessary foundation for healing. “Be curious as to what in a person’s life might be contributing to their struggles, and allow that to drive your conversation and ultimately the plan developed by the medical team,” she urged clinicians.

“Dr. Sayles is a driving force behind IEHP’s efforts to address unstable housing, provide access to healthy food and deliver fully integrated medical and behavioral health care for IEHP Members,” said IEHP Chief Executive Officer Bradley Gilbert, MD, MPP. “Addressing our Members’ social determinants of health is one of IEHP’s most urgent priorities.”

About IEHP
IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is a not-for-profit Medi-Cal and Medicare health plan located in Rancho Cucamonga, California. With a network of more than 6,000 providers and more than 2,000 employees, IEHP serves more than 1.2 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medi-Cal or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare). Through a dynamic partnership with providers, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to providing members with quality, accessible and wellness-based healthcare services. www.iehp.org.