Cargill and the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Local 1776, announced the opening of the company's eighth near-site health center operated by Marathon Health, LLC. Marathon Health is a provider of onsite health centers that enable employers to optimize the health of their workforce and business.

Clinicians at the health center will provide accessible and affordable healthcare to UFCW 1776 members who work at Cargill's meat processing plant in Hazleton. Their dependents will also be able to access healthcare at the center. The health center will serve employees and their families with a nurse practitioner and a medical office assistant.

The forward-looking health partnership between Cargill, UFCW, and Marathon Health will make it easier for everyone who works at the meat processing plant in Hazleton to be healthy and productive.

"Cargill is investing in clinics like the Marathon Health facility in Hazleton to better meet the healthcare needs of our more than 500 UFCW members, and their families, by providing preventive care that supplements existing coverage," said Aaron Humes, Cargill Protein general manager at Hazleton.  "It is gratifying to be able to provide new services that help to better ensure healthy families and healthy communities, which is something Cargill has worked to achieve since its founding in 1865."

"With partnerships like these, Cargill, Marathon Health and the Local 1776 are leading the way for meaningful changes in the lives of workers," said Wendell W. Young, IV, President of UFCW Local 1776. "We are proud to have negotiated this benefit for the members who work at Cargill, and look forward to using this program as a model for our members who work in other facilities as well."

"Cargill and Marathon Health continue to build upon the partnership that was established two years ago with the opening of their first Marathon Health-operated health center in Fort Morgan, Colorado," said Jerry Ford, CEO of Marathon Health. "We're excited to offer to Cargill's Hazleton employees and their families convenient access to high-quality care. Our data and value-driven approach helps employers, like Cargill, transform the delivery of healthcare for their workforce."

The Marathon Health centers empower Cargill employees to take active roles in their own health by providing convenient access to high-quality care and preventive health screenings, education about health risks, and tools and support to address individual health concerns. Personal health information from services received from Marathon Health is completely confidential and will not be shared with Cargill. Marathon Health currently operates health centers for Cargill in Fort Morgan, Colo., Albert Lea, Minn., Schuyler and Nebraska City, Neb., Fort Worth and Friona, Texas, and Dodge City, Kan.

Source: Cargill