| LAS VEGAS, Sept. 2, 2005 - With its first Hurricane
Katrina relief effort priority being the health and well-being of the nearly
8,000 members of the Harrah's family of employees living in the Biloxi,
Gulfport, and New Orleans areas, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET)
today launched the Harrah's Employee Relief Hotline.
Harrah's is asking all displaced employees to
call the toll-free number so they can be accounted for, and so they can
be directed to relief services. The Harrah's Employee Relief Hotline number
is 877-422-7466.
In other updates, Harrah's said that for the next
90 days it will:
-
Cover health care premiums for hourly and non-management
employees;
-
Pay all medical claims as "in-network," regardless
of where medical coverage is received;
-
Temporarily suspend pre-authorization requirement
for medical care;
-
Temporarily suspend time limits on access to scheduled
prescriptions drug deliveries and/or refills;
-
Temporarily suspend time limits on vision care coverage,
providing affected employees with immediate access to eye exams to allow
for the replacement of eyeglasses and contact lenses;
-
Give first preference for current employment opportunities
at Harrah's operations across the country to employees from the three affected
properties; and
-
Use the Western Union network to wire emergency funds
to those employees unable to access their bank accounts. Harrah's
will pay the cost of these transactions.
Earlier this week, Harrah's announced the following
efforts to help employees:
-
Harrah's will pay employees from the three affected
properties their base pay for up to 90 days;
-
A Harrah's Employee Information Center is being established
at the Harrah's Entertainment Corporate Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The center will lead the effort to assist employees who have been
evacuated and displaced by Hurricane Katrina;
-
Harrah's properties in Tunica, Lake Charles and Bossier
City transformed ballrooms, meeting space and other large areas into temporary
relief shelters to support displaced employees and their immediate families;
-
Harrah's announced the establishment of the Harrah's
Employee Recovery Fund with an initial commitment of $1 million from the
Harrah's Foundation. In addition, Harrah's nearly 100,000 employees
around the country will be given an opportunity to directly assist their
colleagues affected by this tragedy through donations via payroll
deductions; and
-
The public can assist Harrah's employees by visiting
the company's Web site -- http://www.harrahs.com -- for additional information
on how to help.
As more definitive news and damage assessments become
available, Harrah's will take additional steps to bolster relief efforts
for its employees, and actively participate in the rebuilding of these
vital communities.
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., is the world's largest
provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno,
Nevada 67 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties,
expansions and acquisitions. On June 13, 2005, Harrah's Entertainment acquired
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., and now owns or manages through various subsidiaries
more than 40 casinos in three countries, primarily under the Harrah's,
Caesars and Horseshoe brand names. With nearly 4 million square feet of
casino space, more than 40,000 hotel rooms and nearly 100,000 employees,
the Harrah's portfolio is the most diverse in the gaming industry. Harrah's
Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers
through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed
distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
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