Community Organizations Receive $33,000 from Technology Grant

May 28, 2020 – Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), one of the country’s largest Medicaid health plan and the largest not-for-profit Medicare/Medicaid plan in the country — awarded $33,000 to 22 local organizations through their Connect IE Technology Grant. This grant helps Connect IE partners expand their technological capabilities through online services during COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is one more stressor added on top of our clients existing challenges,” said Aaron Scullin, executive director of Rim Family Services, Inc. “It has made the delivery of our services even more vital. Through the generous grant, [we are] now able to purchase needed telehealth equipment and software which will help us meet the growing need.”

Receiving $1,500 each, grant recipients also support 211 San Bernardino County, 211 Riverside County and Coachella Valley Health Information Place. These organizations include:

• AIDS Assistance Program
• Axis Foundation
• Boys & Girls Club Redlands
• Community Health Systems, Inc.
• Desert AIDS Project
• Desert Cancer Foundation
• Family Assistance Program
• Feeding America Riverside & San Bernardino (FARB)
• Heartbeat at 22 (DBA Mama’s House)
• Jewish Family Services of the Desert
• Martha’s Village and Kitchen
• NPHS, Inc.
• Operation New Hope
• Option House
• PARKTREE Community Clinics
• Planned Parenthood
• Project Access
• Rim Family Services, Inc.
• Rolling Start Inc.
• Samaritan Counseling Center
• The LGBTQ Center of Palm Springs
• Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy

“This grant helps provide mental & behavioral health services via telehealth,” said Doug McKown, executive director of Samaritan Counseling Center. “Now more than ever, our clients need the psychological & educational services our caring staff provide. We are grateful to Connect IE for helping us facilitate healing and hope to those in need.”

To be eligible for the sponsorship, organizations were required to be located in either Riverside or San Bernardino counties, provide multidisciplinary health and human services, and be active users on the community resource search platform, Connect IE.

“During this crisis, community needs for support and resources grew exponentially,” said Dr. Gabriel Uribe, IEHP community health director. “We had to step in and offer support so that organizations could transition and operate in new ways to continue to bridge gaps related to social determinants of health.”