FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
*PHOTOS & BROLL from the Culinary Health Center - Durango Grand Opening
*BROLL of the Culinary Health Center - Durango exterior & interior
*VIDEO: Culinary Health Center - Durango is now open!
Culinary Union’s Culinary Health Fund proudly unveils a second cutting-edge, multi-faceted Culinary Health Center in the Southwest Valley
Culinary Union members will have access to a wide range of quality health care and services in one convenient location at the Culinary Health Center - Durango
Las Vegas, NV - On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, the Culinary and Bartenders Union’s Culinary Health Fund proudly unveiled the innovative, high-quality Culinary Health Center - Durango, which was designed to provide increased access to primary and preventative care to tens of thousands of eligible Culinary and Bartenders Union members and their families. The brand new facility is located at 6392 South Durango Drive Las Vegas, Nevada 89148 and is open to patients on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:00am.
The Culinary Health Fund hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting of the innovative second Culinary Health Center. To commemorate the grand opening, Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV 3rd District), D. Taylor (President of UNITE HERE), Ted Pappageorge (Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Union), Diana Valles (President of the Culinary Union), and Jesus Vidueira (President of the Culinary Health Fund) provided remarks and participated in a celebratory ribbon cutting with Culinary Union members. Photos from the Culinary Health Center - Durango Grand Opening event are available here.
“The Culinary Health Center will allow us to expand our provider network adding more physicians and making it easier for workers to get the high-quality care they deserve,” said Jesus Vidueira, President, Culinary Health Fund. “The Culinary Health Center continues on a tradition of offering members and their families more options for their medical needs. Not only does the Culinary Health Center house services for preventive and primary care, it is also located in a convenient and thriving area of the Las Vegas Valley where nearly 35,000 Culinary Union members live.”
"Kudos to the Culinary Union, Culinary Health Fund, and all the partners for designing and building a world-class facility it truly takes a group such as this with outstanding thinkers, and visionary leaders to ensure healthcare in Nevada is in a better place,” said Cynthia Kiser Murphey, Culinary Health Fund Board of Trustee Member and General Manager of Palms Casino Resort. "Today, with the second Culinary Health Center opening we are achieving this goal.”
“We are extremely excited about the grand opening of our second Culinary Health Center. Our goal is to provide a one stop facility for Culinary Union members and their families, control costs, and provide the best possible quality health care for hospitality workers,” said Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Union. “We opened the first Culinary Health Center in 2017 and now Culinary Health Center - Durango. We are looking forward to building and opening 2 more over the next couple of years for a total of 4 Culinary Health Centers. Today’s unveiling of Culinary Health Center - Durango is an incredible achievement for working families who are guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. I’ve been a union member for 40 years and building our own health center from the ground up has been a dream. It’s very emotional for Culinary Union members to see this dream become a reality today.”
The Culinary Union, alongside the Culinary Health Fund, is dedicated to helping hospitality workers live healthier lives by working together with medical partners and changing the way health care is delivered to Culinary Union members and their families. The Culinary Health Center is committed to providing high-quality care, better access to medical services, and an exceptional patient experience. Approximately 35,000 members live within a close radius of the Culinary Health Center – Durango providing easy access to this state-of-the-art medical facility. The brand new facility will exclusively serve eligible Culinary Union members and their families and provide more options for quality health services and care in one convenient location in the Southwest Valley.
“Over the years, I’ve been in a lot of fights, picket lines, and campaigns as a shop steward to protect my union and my health care,” said Carlos Padilla, Culinary Union member who works at a baker on the Las Vegas Strip. “My beautiful wife and three great children have been by my side every step of the way and I’m so proud that we have a future with quality health care, thanks to my union. I am thrilled about our new Culinary Health Center - Durango, it’s going to make it a lot easier for my family to get our health care needs met. Now that this second Culinary Health Center is open, I’m excited to utilize a new medical facility that was built exclusively for Culinary Union members like me.”
The 98,800 square foot Culinary Health Center – Durango is a 2-story facility offers patients immediate access to high-quality and comprehensive health care services, including primary and pediatric care, dental services, labs, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, acupuncture, expanded wellness classrooms, mental health counseling, and laboratory services available to patients during their visit. Wellness classes, a physical therapy gym, and advocacy services are also offered to patients on a case-by-case basis. The Culinary Health Fund - Durango also includes the third Culinary “FREE” Pharmacy in the Las Vegas Valley with the very first one at the Durango location featuring a convenient 2-lane drive-thru for Culinary Union members and their families.
Culinary Union has long advocated to improve health care and protect Nevadans. The Culinary Union is proud of its decades-long history of advocating for and winning health care legislation that protects the entire State and Nevadans. The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest health care consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers and it provides health insurance coverage for over 135,000 Nevadans - the Culinary Union’s 60,000 members and their dependents. Culinary Union and the Culinary Health Fund are leaders in the health care policy space in Nevada and continue to advocate for strengthening patient protections, lowering health care costs, and increasing transparency.
The first Culinary Health Center on Nellis Boulevard opened on June 19, 2017. It was the first-of-its- kind in Las Vegas, exclusively serving eligible Culinary Health Fund participants and their dependents.
Culinary Health Center - Durango employs approximately 200 staff, including more than 40 health care providers such as: Doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, and medical assistants. Culinary Health Center – Durango was designed to create a positive and relaxing environment for patients. It features colorful walls and paintings as well as comfortable seating areas and offers 30 primary care rooms, 6 mental health counseling rooms, 15 dental care rooms and 16 physical therapy evaluation rooms (including chiropractic and acupuncture). The Culinary Health Center will partner with health care leaders including Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Inc, Keck Medicine of USC, Nevada Dental Benefits, and OptumRx.
In addition to expanded services, the Culinary Health Center will reinforce what Las Vegas does best – creating an exceptional service experience. Members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226; the largest union in Nevada, Bartender’s Union Local 165, American Federation of Musicians Local 369, and the IATSE Local 720 will be able to access information online at CulinaryHC.com and schedule appointments by phone by calling (702) 790-8000. Same day appointments will be available.
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ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 45% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 88 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
ABOUT CULINARY HEALTH FUND:
The Culinary Health Fund is a Taft-Hartley multi-employer plan established in 1981 and dedicated to providing health coverage for hospitality workers (and their dependents) on the Las Vegas Strip, in Downtown Las Vegas, and at Harry Reid International Airport.
Culinary Health Fund operates under a collectively bargained agreement between Culinary Workers Union Local 226, the largest union in Nevada, Bartenders Local 165, American Federation of Musicians Local 369, IATSE Local 720, and employer contributors to the Fund – including such Las Vegas landmark institutions as Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Flamingo, Fremont Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Main Street Station Casino, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Palms Casino Resort, Planet Hollywood, and Wynn | Encore.
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