In this issue: Understanding the Farm Worker Modernization Act; spotlight on women's health; a message from AgSafe; UnitedAg's educational programs

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President’s Message

Looking Back at 2019

Earlier this month, we opened our fifth Health & Wellness Center in Selma, California. A few of us drove up from Irvine for the ribbon-cutting event; it was a well-attended grand opening with a number of our members, local partners and legislators. Thinking back on this event, the most inspiring moment for me was when one of our members approached me, gave me a warm hug, and told me she wanted to personally thank me. She explained that healthcare access in Selma was very difficult and that this new Health & Wellness Center was a godsend!

I’m happy to say that over the past year, I have heard similar stories from our members in other regions where we have opened Centers.

In 2019, we added Centers in Salinas, Napa, Colusa, Selma and Turlock. Through these, we increased access to affordable and quality health and wellness services for our members.

Based on our members’ stories and feedback on the Health & Wellness Centers, we know they appreciate what we do for them—but that’s not enough for us. We want to take healthcare to the next level by investing in innovative healthcare solutions for our members.

With this in mind, we are excited to announce the launch of UnitedAg’s Innovation Pilot Program, which will take our member-centric mission to the next level. With a deep understanding of the unique needs of the agriculture industry, we find ourselves well-positioned to develop, test and measure the impact of innovative solutions on health outcomes, costs and member satisfaction in our population.

In 2020, we will work closely with innovative healthcare start-up companies to ensure our members have access to test some of the latest and cutting-edge healthcare solutions. We plan to share the lessons learned through this program with the rest of the healthcare industry.

As we have taken a leadership position in—and built a community around—ensuring the healthcare needs of the agricultural industry are met, we find ourselves equipped to do the same in other areas of the industry. In 2019, we successfully built a community of Health Ambassadors, WomenAg Leaders, and Emerging Leaders.

We also worked on internal innovation at UnitedAg, including a system transition to help support our new projects, a new pharmacy benefits manager, a partnership with CVS Caremark and a new webinar series (Ops Forum).

Our work on innovative projects, and more importantly, UnitedAg’s empathy-led approach, contributed to another financially successful year.

Over the past year, we have grown to represent over 1,000 members, and our Trust’s annual contributions are approximately $195M.

It’s apt that this year’s annual conference theme is ”CELEBRATE.” As I reflect on 2019 and our annual conference theme, I am reminded of a moment from the hardest backpacking trip I’ve ever taken: the four-day Inca Trail. The day we reached Macchu Picchu, someone in my team pointed to the highest point we climbed; that’s when I felt the awe of what we had achieved. By taking one breath and one step at a time, we achieved something spectacular.

Sometimes it’s important to stop and take a moment to look back at how far you’ve come.

I look forward to seeing you in 2020 at our annual conference where we can take a moment to look back and celebrate, together.

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