Station Casinos employees cut a ceremonial ribbon as they help open a free health clinic for employees and their families at Red Rock Resort Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. A similar clinic opened at Sunset Station in Henderson.
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Sitting in the waiting area of the soon-to-open Station Casinos Medical Center clinic at Red Rock Resort, Bob Finch couldn’t help but take a moment to reflect.
The initial planning meeting for the project was in early December 2019.
“To be here a year later to the day, ready to open, is just beyond me. Our team did an amazing job putting this together,” said Finch, chief operating officer for Station Casinos.
Situated near the pool at Red Rock and operated by Activate Healthcare, the new medical clinic will open today. Visits will be free for employees and family of all Station properties. It’s one of two 2,500-square-foot medical clinics at Station properties set to open this week. The other is at Sunset Station in Henderson, in an area that used to be a poker room.
While health insurance benefits are still offered to employees, the idea behind the clinics was to make it easier to receive routine medical care, such as blood work, a flu shot, pharmaceutical services and, yes, COVID-19 testing. But the pandemic wasn’t the reason Station wanted to move forward with its clinic offerings, according to Finch, who started working for Station as a craps dealer in 1983.
When Finch, 61, was asked by Red Rock Resorts Chairman Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to take on the COO role a couple of years ago, part of the job description was to bring the company closer to its roots as a family-run organization.
“Frank and Lorenzo said they really wanted to get back to where it started when they asked me to do this job,” Finch said. “I met their dad (Station Casinos founder Frank Fertitta Jr.) when I was 21. He basically raised me. We’re a family company and we take care of our team members like family.”
Each clinic will have a physician, nurse practitioner and four exam rooms. The clinics will be open to any Station employees (and immediate family members) enrolled in the the company’s HMO. The family member has to earn less than $41,600 per year for clinic use to be free.
Initially, Station had plans for a clinic at Texas Station in North Las Vegas, but the company has not reopened the casino resort since the government-mandated shutdown of businesses in the spring.
“In this town, it can be hard to get a doctor appointment,” Finch said. “The goal was also to take care of team members’ families with the medical clinics. That’s when you can really make a difference and impact people. At the end of the day, if you go home and everybody’s good, your life is good.”
The company declined comment about the clinics’ costs.
Jean Michel Dierick, a valet driver at Red Rock and longtime Station employee, said he planned to take advantage of the clinic at Red Rock.
“I think it will be a lot easier. You’re not going to have to wait for two or three hours for your appointment,” Dierick said. “I’ve done some of the quick care (clinics) around Las Vegas; it’s not always quick. This shows that the company really wants to take care of us.”
Earlier this year, Station rolled out a cost-free health care plan to employees earning less than $41,600 annually, and it eliminated its HMO deductible for all employees.
Despite the hardships felt by many in the gaming world due to the coronavirus, Finch said Station Casinos had made it a point to do what it could for its workforce.
“We’ve tried to focus on our team members this year,” Finch said. “A large portion of our team members, for one reason or another, have to get bloodwork done every week. They’ll be able to come here now and do that instead of waiting at other places around town.”
Before COVID-19, unemployment was low in most places across the country, meaning that companies were competing for workers. The pandemic has changed the landscape somewhat, but Finch says he knows talent attraction will be important for all companies moving forward.
“There’s new places opening up all over town,” Finch said. “Look at Circa and the stuff that’s going to open on the Strip soon. We want to attract and retain the best (employees) out there. When a person is out there looking for work, when you see a company that builds a medical center, that shows we care.”
At some point, Finch said, Station’s on-site health care outfits could include dental, vision and physical therapy offerings. “This is just the beginning of where this can go,” he said. “We got these two (clinics) up quick. I know that team members can’t wait to use these.”
