Caesars’ NYC Casino Bid Set To Commit $5 Million To Support Callen-Lorde Services

Caesars Palace Times Square, which is expected to submit one of eight bids by Friday’s deadline for the three New York downstate casino licenses, announced Tuesday it is set to commit $5 million in support of Callen-Lorde, a clinical service that specializes in sexual health.

The financial commitment is contingent upon the bid fronted by SL Green, Caesars, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation being awarded one of the three licenses. The commitment is separated into two components: $2 million going toward Callen-Lorde’s existing services in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and $3 million toward Callen-Lorde Community Health Center for a new Center for Excellence in Sexual Health.

The new center would be located in Hell’s Kitchen, which is in close proximity to the proposed casino venue at 1515 Broadway. Caesars Palace Times Square is expected to be one of three Manhattan-based proposals among the eight submitted along with The Avenir and Freedom Plaza.

Continued focus on Hell’s Kitchen community

This is not the first community outreach project that the Caesars Palace Times Square bid has announced for the Hell’s Kitchen community, but it is the first health-focused one. A joint press release noted that New York City is at a 30-year high for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in part due to diagnoses from expanded COVID-19 testing.

The center would address what the two groups call “a persistent gap in access to timely diagnosis and treatment — particularly among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and BIPOC communities.”

“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 Patrick McGovern, chief executive officer of Callen-Lorde. “With this funding, Callen-Lorde’s express clinic model will offer rapid, same-day test results and immediate treatment through an in-house retail pharmacy, reducing the typical 72-hour turnaround to just one hour.

“The 20,000-square-foot facility in Hell’s Kitchen will include check-in kiosks, self-swab stations, exam rooms, and on-site lab equipment capable of delivering rapid STI results for over 15 patients at a time per machine. This high-volume, tech-enabled model is designed for efficiency, confidentiality, and inclusivity — ensuring that those most impacted by HIV and STIs can access innovative, potentially life-saving care.”

Caesars Palace Times Square’s previous commitment to the Hell’s Kitchen area included $250 million focused on sanitation. It would partner with the non-profit Doe Fund to create a sanitation department to work in tandem with the NYC Department of Sanitation.

“At SL Green, we believe that vibrant neighborhoods are built on strong institutions, and Callen-Lorde is exactly that,” Brett Herschenfeld, senior vice president at SL Green, Manhattan’s largest commercial landlord, said in the release. “We are proud to support the expansion of their critical services in Hell’s Kitchen, where this state-of-the-art facility will dramatically improve access to rapid testing and treatment for New Yorkers most at risk. This is the kind of community-centered innovation our city needs.”

If Caesars Palace Times Square is selected as one of the three licensees, it is possible the two projects would be counted toward the $500 million minimum in capital investments a licensee must make as part of its total proposal. That is in addition to the $500 million license fee for the casino itself.