Illumination Foundation Co-Chief Executive Officer Dr. Pooja Bhalla Recognized as a 2023 CA-46 Congressional Woman of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE, Calif., April 24, 2023 – Illumination Foundation Co-Chief Executive Officer Dr. Pooja Bhalla was named a 2023 CA-46 Congressional Woman of the Year. Representative Lou Correa recognized Dr. Bhalla for her outstanding contributions to the 46th Congressional District at a ceremony held on April 22 at Chapman University’s Sandhu Conference Center in Orange.
Dr. Bhalla is a forward-thinking leader who heads the organization’s efforts to address the complex issue of health equity for people experiencing homelessness. Dr. Bhalla believes that providing the most vulnerable members of our community access to the wider healthcare system, including primary medical care and mental health care, is essential to long-term housing and health stability, and ultimately will make Orange County a better place to live, work, and thrive.
Illumination Foundation’s corporate office is located in the 46th district, as are their four family emergency shelters, the Santa Ana Homeless Shelter and Navigation Center, several micro-communities (multi-family homes that provide transitional and permanent supportive housing), and an intergenerational campus under development in Santa Ana.
Dr. Bhalla joined Illumination Foundation in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all program operations, development, and implementation of quality wraparound services including healthcare and permanent housing. In January 2021, she assumed the role of Executive Director of Healthcare Services, a newly created position, and on July 1, 2022 was promoted to Co-CEO. She focuses on the complex issue of healthy equity in order to improve quality outcomes and reduce health disparities. Dr. Bhalla leads Illumination Foundation’s Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports healthcare team as part of California’s CalAIM initiative to bring better healthcare to underserved populations. She also spearheaded an innovative partnership with IFMG, a private medical group which provides primary care and mental health services for this vulnerable population.
For more information on Illumination Foundation, go to www.ifhomeless.org.
About Illumination Foundation
Illumination Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides targeted, interdisciplinary services for the most vulnerable homeless adults and children in order to disrupt the cycle of homelessness. The organization provides a full continuum of care from street to home, including case management, medical coordination, behavioral health and substance use counseling, and housing navigation to our vulnerable clients in shelters/navigation centers, family emergency shelters, recuperative care/medical respite facilities, and permanent supportive housing. https://www.ifhomeless.org
