LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the largest employers in the greater Louisville area, retail giant Amazon, is providing a new perk for its employees. Some 28,000 people and their dependents in the area, more across the country, get the benefit of Neighborhood Health Center Clinics made convenient especially for them. This comes as Amazon's CEO has urged the Biden Administration to allow the company's assistance in COVID-19 vaccine rollout. 

Amazon's Workplace Health & Safety Coordinator Derek Rubino tells Spectrum News 1 staff are trying to get the new clinics licensed to provide vaccines to employees as soon as possible. 

"We're standing by to try to help," said Rubino. "We have a very large workforce, of course, nationally, you know 800,000 folks out there."

"Our facilities are in the process of getting licensed to be able to provide the vaccine as well. They're not available just yet, but Amazon in general is large and very good at distribution side of things, and we also would love to help our folks and everyone get vaccinated in the country," Rubino added. 

There are three neighborhood clinics recently opened in the Louisville area in Pleasure Ridge Park off Dixie Highway, in Shepherdsville, and in Jeffersonville, Ind. The locations coincide with fulfillment centers. 

Rubino says this clinic project predates the coronavirus pandemic, claiming Amazon workers were not able to use their healthcare benefits provided by the company. 

"Many cases, even if they do take the health benefits, they don't have a primary care provider," he said, "and are instead waiting until they are sick to go to the emergency room or seek urgent care."

"The idea of nine-to-five Monday through Friday healthcare isn't very...doesn't translate very well," Rubino explained. 

He hopes the addition of clinics where workers don't also have to compete with other members of the public for appointments will have a ripple effect throughout the community.