MedicAlert unveils its new headquarters in Salida

As visitors checked out MedicAlert’s new headquarters in Salida on Thursday, its top executive said the downsized charitable foundation is in a stronger financial position after a rebound in 2015.

“MedicAlert is here to stay, and not just to stay, but to grow,” said David Leslie, who became chief executive officer a year ago.

The foundation known internationally for its medical ID bracelets sold its Turlock headquarters earlier this year and moved to a leased building on Pirrone Court in Salida, on the east side of Highway 99. Thursday’s open house was attended by Chamber of Commerce officials, state and county representatives, and other guests.

“It’s wonderful,” Salida chamber President Katherine Borges said. “We are happy to have them in our community.”

MedicAlert had 140 employees serving 2.3 million members in the United States in 2006, and an additional 1.7 million members of affiliates worldwide, but its numbers have declined because of mortality and competition from newer technologies.

A leaner workforce of 90 employees was cut to 60 in early 2015, before a deal was cut to sell the Turlock headquarters at Colorado Avenue and Tuolumne Road to Turlock Christian Schools. MedicAlert started moving operations to Salida in February.

The Salida center has 68 employees, a 24-hour emergency call center, a manufacturing area for making those ID bracelets, a mail room and administrative offices.

When a diabetic woman in Ohio or patient with epilepsy in Florida orders an ID bracelet, it is now made in Salida and sent to the customers. If a customer is found unconscious, the call center provides the first responder with vital information on the person’s chronic health conditions, allergies and medications.

“We exist to protect you in that moment,” Leslie said.

The nonprofit foundation created in 1956 called Turlock home for 60 years and considered an offer to relocate to a property on West Main Street. But the 15,000-square-foot Salida building was chosen for its location near the freeway and the terms, Leslie said, adding that the building housed a previous call center.

Besides medical ID jewelry, the MedicAlert Foundation offers services for community members with Alzheimer’s disease or autism, who are prone to wandering. It has a smartphone app for medical professional referrals and a Kid Smart service, combining a child’s medical ID with 24-hour family notification and database storage of immunization records and treatment instructions.

Leslie told the guests Thursday that a stronger financial performance last year allowed the organization to increase cash reserves to almost $9 million.

Tammy Johnson, a 30-year employee, said she sees the new center as an opportunity. “I enjoy what I do,” she said. “It is a good job. Every day we are busy.”

MedicAlert was founded by Turlock physician Marion Collins and his wife, Chrissie, after their 14-year-old daughter, Linda, had a reaction to a tetanus antitoxin and she nearly died. The silver ID bracelet, with the person’s illness or serious allergies engraved on the back, was developed for people whose conditions can make them unresponsive to medical personnel.

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "MedicAlert unveils its new headquarters in Salida."