$105,000 awarded for IE Health Center

On Monday, Nov. 23, District 31 Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded Social Action Community Health System (SACHS) $105,000 to go toward the development of their Community Resource Center. SACHS is located in the city of San Bernardino and is a non-profit organization that offers low-cost health care services to Inland Empire residents.

“This is great news for the Inland Empire community,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. He continued, “I’m glad to see important resources coming back to San Bernardino County to expand health care coverage for our residents.”

Through funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), SACHS will offer certified specialists to help individuals in need of insurance to obtain coverage, and facilitate outreach to those eligible for affordable health insurance through health insurance marketplaces, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). SACHS also provides access to medical, dental, behavioral health, social, housing and educational services in the community. The grant will also help expand services from the current 42,000 square foot Norton facility and other sites to a new 150,000 square foot downtown campus in the City of San Bernardino.

SACHS projects to enroll approximately 750 individuals into the health insurance marketplace during their first year and an additional 1,000 in the subsequent year. The Community Resource Center will help implement The ACA Health Center Outreach and Enrollment Assistance Program, which includes trained and certified outreach and enrollment personnel to help uninsured health center patients and non-health center patients through collaborative partnerships in the SAC Health System service area.

According to Nancy Young, President and CEO of SACHS, “This funding will provide much-needed support to help the uninsured families in our region to obtain critical medical, dental, behavioral health and other supportive services. This can help change families' lives and make our community healthier and more vibrant.”