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“The team behind Caesars Palace Times Square has taken a real and genuine interest in the health and well-being of the Hell’s Kitchen community,” said Callen-Lorde’s CEO.
Deadline has reported that Caesars Palace Times Square, aiming to bring a casino to 1515 Broadway in Times Square, will commit $5 million to support the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center if the bid is accepted.
$2 million would support Callen-Lorde’s existing services in Chelsea and $3 million would support Callen-Lorde Community Health Center for a new Center for Excellence in Sexual Health. A Hell’s Kitchen center would expand access to HIV and STI care.
In 2022, Caesars Entertainment and SL Green intended to construct a Caesars Palace at 1515 Broadway. The No Times Square Casino Coalition comprises residents, businesses, community organizations and stakeholders from the Times Square community who are committed to its long-term future and concerned about the significant negative impacts a casino would bring.
Members include: 54 Below, American Bus Association, ATPAM, Audience Rewards, Bar Centrale, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, CHEKPEDS, Council of Chelsea Block Associations, Encore Community Services, Hell’s Kitchen Block Alliance, Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association, IATSE Local One, IATSE Local 306, IATSE Local 751, IATSE Local 764, IATSE Local 798, Joe Allen, Manhattan Plaza Tenants Association, National Organization for Women NYC (NOW-NYC), Orso, Project FIND, Sardi’s, TDF, Times Square Church, The Ali Forney Center, The Broadway League, The Hippodrome, The Shubert Organization, The Voice of Student Youth & Travel, The West 47th/48th Street Block Association, United Federation of Teachers (UFT), United Scenic Artists 829, and Westside Neighborhood Alliance.
“The team behind Caesars Palace Times Square has taken a real and genuine interest in the health and wellbeing of the Hell’s Kitchen community,” said Patrick McGovern, Chief Executive Officer of Callen-Lorde, in a statement. “With this funding, Callen-Lorde’s express clinic model will offer rapid, same-day test results [for sexually transmitted infections] and immediate treatment through an in-house retail pharmacy, reducing the typical 72-hour turnaround to just one hour.”
State lawmakers approved the opening of three downstate New York casinos in 2023. The state is expected to award the licenses by the end of 2025. Read the full story HERE.
