CASINO PROVIDES ON-SITE CARE

Dina Cazares never thought a career in medicine would return her to the gaming industry.

But her experience in the casino world made the newly licensed registered nurse a perfect choice for a pilot program that placed a health care clinic at New York-New York. Employees are able to find answers to their ailments or medical questions free of charge.

The goal, said Dr. Eric Moskow, chief executive of Outcome Based Delivery Systems, which operates Canyon Gate Medical Group, is to line up New York-New York's 2,210 employees with a primary physician, if the workers don't already have their own doctor.

The clinic is free to New York-New York employees and provides simple medical procedures, including flu shots and triage-type services, such as cold and flu diagnosis, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings and answering general health maintenance questions.

"We wanted to have a patient advocate available during work hours who could funnel employees into wellness programs," Moskow said. "The nurse is a sounding board and she helps fill a void. A lot of employees don't have a primary care provider."

Canyon Gate Medical Group has been in Las Vegas since September and operates two full-service medical offices with a third location in development. The medical provider joined Culinary Local 226's network of medical providers.

Moskow said the medical group has nine doctors on staff with a goal of having 32 doctors by June.

Moskow said the New York-New York clinic's nurse could make an appointment for employees to see a primary care physician at Canyon Gate or with the worker's own doctor.

"Ultimately, the program adds to the casino's benefit structure but also works to help improve community health care," Moskow said.

The New York-New York clinic opened at the end of November as a way to reach casino workers. If successful, it could find its way into other MGM Mirage resorts.

Cynthia Kiser Murphey, the president of New York-New York, was happy the hotel-casino was the clinic's initial location. In her previous role with the company as corporate director of human resources, she was involved with the establishment of the MGM Mirage Healthy Living Program, which encourages the company's 65,000-person work force to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Lost hours due to illness can impact staffing schedules. The health care clinic is user-friendly and convenient to the resort's employees, located in the back-of-the-house area across from the human resources office.

"I'm encouraged by the clinic's early success," Kiser Murphey said. "It's a great time-saver for the employees to have a clinic on-site, but it is also beneficial for our Healthy Living Program."

That's where Cazares comes in. A recent graduate of Apollo College, a private health care school, Cazares was viewed as a perfect fit for the New York-New York clinic because she is fluent in Spanish and also understands the hectic gaming employee schedule.

Cazares worked in convention services at Mandalay Bay before graduating from the nursing program.

"I get a lot of questions about health care," Cazares said. "Sometimes it's just answering a question about medication an employee is taking. I just try to help the employees understand what might be ailing them and get them to see a doctor if they need to."

James Healey, assistant director of housekeeping at New York-New York, came in for a flu shot. He subsequently found answers to several medical questions. Healey was impressed enough to encourage the 525 employees he supervises to visit the clinic.

"I was hooked immediately," Healey said. "It's a convenient benefit."

Cazares' fluency in Spanish came in handy when New York-New York housekeeper Margarita Betancourt visited the clinic.

She was feeling ill and with English as a second language, she was hesitant to visit other medical facilities. She saw Cazares and Betancourt found out she had blood pressure issues. Cazares helped schedule her to see a doctor.

"I'm glad this is here," Betancourt said. "I feel much better."

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.