The Agricultural Leadership Council (TALC)

 

In January 2010, John D’Arrigo, a third-generation Salinas Valley grower and President of D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of CA, founded The Agricultural Leadership Council (TALC) to philanthropically support Natividad Medical Center (NMC) to improve the health status of farm workers and their families. TALC recognized the need for necessary medical equipment, diagnostic tools and services and decided that all funds donated will be used for medical equipment and services as determined by TALC.  Twenty-two (22) farm families joined as TALC Founding Members, including Ed Boutonnet and Joe Pezzini of Ocean Mist Farms, David Gill and Jamie Strachan of Growers Express, LLC, and Bob and Rick Antle of Tanimura and Antle.  TALC has since grown to include 116 members and is changing lives and saving lives! 

 

TALC has purchased the most technologically advanced equipment for premature and neonatal babies at NMC's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), including a computerized Panda warmer. Pandas, named for the bear known for keeping her babies warm and cozy, will keep critically ill newborns warm at NMC. The Panda is designed to keep newborns delivered by Cesarean section warm until they can be safely transported to the nursery to be placed in a Giraffe – a combination warmer/incubator that stimulates the environment of the womb to promote healing and growth of the tiniest babies.

 

In addition to equipment for the NICU, TALC has purchased and provided medical equipment that is currently being used in the Maternal Infant, Pediatric, Medical/Surgical and Intensive Care Units, the Emergency Room and Diabetes Education.    

 

A generous grant from TALC also supported cross-cultural Initiatives at the hospital, providing qualified medical interpretation training that also included training for 50 indigenous language medical interpreters.