LAS VEGAS, May 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a broad
collaborative plan created by business and community leaders,
Las Vegas gaming and resort
properties will partner with University Medical Center (UMC), the
Culinary Health Fund and the Las
Vegas Convention Center to provide COVID-19 testing for
gaming employees prior to their return to work. The testing will be
conducted at the Las Vegas
Convention Center as properties re-open following the direction of
State officials.
"The ability to safely reopen our properties has been our
singular focus over the past several weeks," said Bill Hornbuckle, Acting CEO and President of MGM
Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). "This testing partnership will
allow us to provide our employees and guests peace of mind that we
are taking the greatest possible precautions to keep them
safe."
In addition to MGM properties, Caesars and Boyd properties will
participate in the COVID-19 employee testing plan. UMC and the
Culinary Health Fund will work together to collect up to 4,000
samples per day for testing. UMC CEO Mason
VanHouweling noted his facility has significantly increased
its testing capacity as a result of the efforts of the Governor's
COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force, led by longtime
gaming industry leader Jim
Murren.
"COVID-19 testing ensures that Culinary Union members are safe
when they return to work," said Geoconda Argüello-Kline,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union. "The health and safety
of both workers and casino guests is our top priority."
"As we prepare to reopen our southern Nevada properties, the health and safety of
our customers, our team members and our communities is our utmost
priority," said Keith Smith,
President and CEO of Boyd Gaming. "Through this expansion of our
partnership with UMC, we can do our part to help prevent the spread
of COVID-19 in our community, and demonstrate our commitment to
offering a safe and entertaining environment for everyone."
"Caesars appreciates the gaming industry and union partnership
with UMC to test our employees for COVID-19," said
Tony Rodio, CEO, Caesars
Entertainment. "All Caesars employees would complete a
pre-screenIng questionnaire and the results would determine the
need for a COVID-19 test before returning to work," he
added.
Testing is expected to begin May
21st and will continue as employees are called
back to work. Employees called back to work will schedule an
appointment for their test, with results confirmed within 48 hours
of testing. Positive results will be provided to the employee and
forwarded to the Southern Nevada Health District for contact
tracing.
"In response to this unprecedented public health crisis, we have
seen an unparalleled level of collaboration between private
industry, community leaders and the health care community," said
VanHouweling. "As a result of the hard work and dedication of our
health care professionals on the front lines of this crisis, UMC
now has the capacity to run 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day. With
valuable support from our community partners, this increased
testing capacity allows UMC to detect new cases of COVID-19 and
safeguard the health of our friends, neighbors and family members
across Southern Nevada."
For more information on testing and scheduling appointments,
employees will receive information from their leaders.
Media Contacts:
MGM Resorts: Brian Ahern,
Director of Media Relations, media@mgmresorts.com
UMC: Scott Kerbs, Public Relations
Manager, 702-324-2961, scott.kerbs@umcsn.com
Culinary Union: Bethany Khan,
702-385-7088, bkhan@culinaryunion226.org
Boyd Gaming: David Strow, VP Corp
Comms, 702-792-7386, davidstrow@boydgaming.com
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SOURCE MGM Resorts International