IEHP breaks ground on new community wellness center

Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) broke ground on its new Community Wellness Center (CWC) in San Bernardino last week, inviting health plan leaders and city officials to view the site for the first time.

The two-story, 33,000-square-foot space at 2050 N. Massachusetts Ave. will replace the existing center on Second Street when it opens in 2025.

“Today’s groundbreaking is more than a symbolic gesture – it’s about laying the foundation of hope and confirming our commitment to building healthy communities, caring for our neighbors and doing work for the greater good,” said Jarrod McNaughton, IEHP’s chief executive officer.

The San Bernardino CWC was the first of three Community Wellness Centers to open in the region, followed by Riverside and Victorville. All centers provide access to holistic health-based resources to IEHP members and non-members at no cost.

The new CWC will host amenities not available in the current 6,500-square-foot location, including:

• Six multi-purpose rooms that will double as accessible spaces open for the community to host meetings and gatherings.
• A state-of-the-art integrated teaching kitchen with seating up to 50.
• Five partner suites for integrated community-based organization (CBOs) partners to provide services to residents.
• A multi-media room with tools to accommodate tech-based learning and growth.
• An expanded class schedule.
• A children’s room and teen center for all-day programming.

For many, CWCs have created lasting bonds between site staff and all who walk through each center’s doors.

“These spaces can be hubs of hope, centers of collaboration and communication and portals of remarkable potential,” said Eileen Zorn, who serves on IEHP’s governing board. “It is the hope of the board and the hope of most of us that this center will be another contribution to make that so.”