UNC University Communications: COVID-19 vaccine incentive program pays off

From UNC University Communications: The incentive study guaranteed a $25 card to adults who either received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine or drove someone to providers participating in the pilot program. The program distributed 2,890 cards to vaccine recipients and 1,374 to drivers. The $25 Summer Card program switched to providing $100 cards after this evaluation was conducted, and data on the $100 Summer Card program are not included in the authors’ review. “Providing guaranteed small financial incentives is a promising strategy to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake,” said Charlene Wong, the chief health policy officer for COVID-19 at the NCDHHS. “The design of our $25 incentive pilot program in North Carolina helped alleviate transportation and other cost barriers to vaccination, particularly for low-income, Latinx and Black individuals.” “North Carolina Central University was pleased to be a key partner in North Carolina’s effort to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates through incentive vaccination clinics,” said William Pilkington, H.O.P.E co-program director at Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute at NCCU. “The university’s staff developed and administered surveys at the clinics that produced results clearly demonstrating the value of incentives to promote more equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccinations.” Read the full story at UNC University Communications.