I have to admit, this makes me proud. And as a member of Freelancers Union, I hope it makes you proud, too.

I’m happy to announce Freelancers Medical – our very own cutting-edge healthcare program with a dedicated medical practice. This fall, in the heart of Brooklyn, the doors will open on the first bricks-and-mortar primary care practice just for freelancers.

The practice will be a place where health care is really about freelancers. Doctors will work to keep freelancers balanced and healthy. Health coaches will teach free yoga and meditation classes to knit together the best of alternative and traditional care. The 6,000-square-foot space is designed specifically for on-the-go freelancers, with free Wi-Fi in the reception area.

We designed the Freelancers Medical program to ensure there are no copays, so freelancers can come to the doctor when they need to, not when their wallets say they can. The practice will only be open to subscribed members of Freelancers Insurance Company. We built Freelancers Insurance Company to help freelancers join together as a group to solve a problem that had bedeviled them individually for decades. And now, this new practice will provide a place where we can gather, learn, and build a better tomorrow – together.

After all, our best support system is ourselves.

Freelancers Medical is the first step for us in a year of new initiatives to expand the mission of Freelancers Union. Next year, we’ll be launching and sponsoring new nonprofit healthcare plans in Oregon, New Jersey, and New York to bring member voices back to the healthcare conversation.

Let me know what you think at the hashtag #FreelancersMedical. Thank you for being part of this new step.