Jacques Loveall
President, UFCW 8-Golden State
UFCW International Vice President
It was an honor to cut the ribbon launching the new Solidaritus Health Center in Rocklin, Calif. Those attending heard a lineup of civic leaders, health care professionals and benefit fund trustees representing the UFCW and employers. (See photos on pages 8 and 9.)
Establishment of the Solidaritus Health Center in Rocklin, the first of three initial locations in Northern California, is a monumental achievement, launching a new era of high-quality, concierge health care for Union members and their covered dependents with no out-of-pocket costs. We look forward to a comprehensive network of these Union-owned primary care facilities throughout California and beyond.
Rick Silva, administrator and chief executive of the UEBT health plan, set the tone when he told attendees, “I stand here with you all excited and proud of the accomplishments of so many people invested in this amazing project, all focused with a single goal in mind: delivered access and great quality care to our membership.”
Mark Blum, CEO and president of Solidaritus, said the project is based on “a simple proposition: working people should have great health care.” “They don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket at urgent care centers,” Blum said. “They’re going to be treated with the respect one hardly expects at a health care facility. They won’t be asked to sit in a waiting room for 20 minutes or more as they lose wages.
“But here’s the really good news: Solidaritus has already proven we can, in fact, reduce the rate of growth of health costs. Our own costs will never grow faster than the Consumer Price Index.
“We’re starting it here,” Blum concluded. “We’re planting a flag in the ground here!”
There are no copays or other out-ofpocket expenses for obtaining care at a Solidaritus Health Center. If you get a prescription filled at the Health Center, there will be a small copay for it, but not for the visit with the doctor.
The doctor spends time with you, getting to know you, listening to you and getting to the root of why you may be having issues. She asks about your diet, your lifestyle, your exercise habits, etc.
In addition to giving individualized care, Solidaritus is in the process of setting up healthy cooking classes and will have yoga and exercise classes in the near future.
In my remarks as chair of the UEBT and president of UFCW 8-Golden State, I told the attendees this occasion was the culmination of 15 years of efforts by Union and employer representatives through the Health Care Partnership, which already has made major strides in controlling health care costs. Opening more Solidaritus Health Centers is the next step.
Even before it opened its doors, the new Solidaritus Health Center in Rocklin is fully subscribed by Union members and their families, and we expect the centers we open in the future will be similarly well received.
In a country where an estimated 40 percent of the work force delays health care due to cost, the future for working families has suddenly become a lot brighter — and we’ve only just begun.
Solidarity Works!
