Inland Empire Health Plan CEO Receives Outstanding Citizen Award

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The San Bernardino County Medical Society (SBCMS) has announced Inland Empire Health Plan CEO Jarrod McNaughton as the recipient of their 2021 Outstanding Citizen Award. The award recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions to health care and who are active in promoting health and wellness to Inland Empire residents through public forums or involvement in community organizations.

McNaughton joined IEHP in 2018 as Chief Operating Officer and became Chief Executive Officer in 2019, after the retirement of previous CEO Brad Gilbert. McNaughton works closely with the health plan's Governing Board and nearly 2,500 employees to cultivate IEHP's strong partnership with Providers, hospitals and hundreds of community partners to deliver quality, whole-person care to more than 1.4 million Members.

"Jarrod genuinely cares about the Inland Empire, the people and the communities we serve," said Cesar Armendariz, IEHP Community Health Senior Director. "Everything he does is clearly rooted in IEHP's mission, vision and values, and he loves to lead by example. Since the onset of the pandemic, he found ways to source and donate much-needed PPE to our local medical professionals, and even masked up alongside our Community Health Teams to personally distribute food to community residents. If anyone deserves this recognition, it's definitely Jarrod!"

McNaughton spearheaded the health plan's efforts to transform its Rancho Cucamonga headquarters into one of San Bernardino County's Covid super-vaccine sites, which administers 1,000 vaccines per day. He also addressed the Inland Empire Provider shortage by launching IEHP's Healthcare Scholarship Fund and led by example in encouraging other local organizations to actively engage in community health initiatives.

Alison Elsner, SBCMS executive director, is looking forward to honoring McNaughton at the SBCMS's Annual Installation of Officers event in Redlands on June 24. She describes him as a transformational leader who embodies the very best in the health care industry.

"We are humbled and, frankly, overwhelmed by the extent of Jarrod's visionary leadership and continual commitment to improve the delivery of health care—creating ways for both providers and patients to achieve health and wellness in unprecedented ways," said Elsner.  "In short, Jarrod knows how to get things done for the medical community and for the lives of our residents. His heartfelt efforts prove that one person can change the world around us."

About IEHP
IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. With a network of more than 6,400 providers and 2,500 employees, IEHP serves over 1.4 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare-Medicaid Plan). Through a dynamic partnership with Providers and community, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to advocating for our Members and providing them with quality, accessible and wellness-based health care services. For more information, visit www.iehp.org.

SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)