San Manuel Indian Clinic Officially Open

A cultural ceremony and ribbon cutting celebration preceded the grand opening of the new San Manuel Clinic, supported through a $2 million grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, on Friday, Jan. 30. In 2014, Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. (RSBCIHI) purchased and remodeled an existing building in Grand Terrace to relocate a health clinic previously located in San Bernardino. The clinic is named in recognition of the nearby San Manuel Indian Reservation and previously operated in the city of San Bernardino. Tribal and organization officials and staff gathered for a traditional blessing for the grand opening. Throughout the day, everyone had the opportunity to get an informational tour of the clinic, including the second Building for Behavioral Health Services. The clinic, which serves approximately 6,670 patients from the Native American community of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, will now have the capacity to add future radiology services for a patient population expected to increase to 8,500 individuals. In 2014 the San Manuel Clinic had over 31,000 patient visits and encounters. Transportation services to clinic appointments are also available to those patients who qualify. The new location in Grand Terrace will ultimately enable the clinic to expand its existing services to offer in the near future, more comprehensive healthcare including on site radiology, ultrasound and mammograms under one roof. According to Board of Directors Treasurer Brandie Miranda, they’re governed by nine tribes within the two counties. The tribes include: Pechanga, Soboba, San Manuel, Morongo, Torres Martinez, Kawaiisu, Santa Rosa, Ramona and Agua Caliente. “We service any member of a federally-recognized tribe here and they’re eligible for all the services we offer here in the facility,” Treasurer Brandie Miranda shared. “It’s a great example of all of the tribes in the area coming together for one purpose and that’s to provide excellent health care to our native people in the area.” This new location was constructed to provide a patient-centered medical home environment where patients will receive comprehensive and coordinated attention during their visits in multiple areas, including family practice and behavioral health, preventative care, podiatry as well as endocrinology, and internal medicine through a telemedicine program. This new telemedicine technology will further allow the clinic to reach out to patients on remote reservations throughout its two county service area. The clinic, which currently employs 75 people, will add six to 10 new staff positions to offer expanded and specialty care services within one to two years. They plan to expand over the next year to include services like: Additional Pediatrician for Medical, Psychiatry and Additional Hygienist for Dental.