Racine Common Council approves $600K in vaccine incentives

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- At a Common Council meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 17, city alders approved allocating $600,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding to create a Covid vaccine gift card incentive program for residents of Racine.

Unvaccinated, but eligible residents will qualify for one $50 gift card per dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or $100 or two $50 gift cards per dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The incentive program also includes a "good neighbor incentive" for residents who are already vaccinated. If someone already vaccinated brings an unvaccinated resident to get vaccinated at an eligible location, those neighbors can also receive a $50 gift card per person they bring in.

The city’s gift card incentive program is available at the following clinic sites:  

• The City of Racine Public Health Department’s vaccine clinic at City Hall – appointments can be made online at https://racinepublichealth.as.me/schedule.php and walk-ins are allowed every Thursday from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.   
• The AMI Health vaccine clinic at Regency Mall with walk-in hours on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. -7 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.   
• City or AMI Health’s supported pop-up clinics throughout the community. A list of those pop-up clinics can be found at www.vaccinateracine.org. 

City residents looking to get vaccinated and "good neighbors," will need to verify their addresses with clinic support staff and fill out an entry form to receive the gift card incentive. 

“Like the rest of the country, we are now seeing increasing numbers of City residents contracting the Delta variant of COVID-19. We know that those who are being hospitalized or having the worst health effects from the virus are almost entirely unvaccinated. We also know that getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent infection or prevent serious health consequences if you do become infected. Our vaccination rates continue to lag behind the rest of the state, and I’m grateful that the Council has approved this plan to provide gift card incentives. I hope these incentives will encourage more of our residents to get vaccinated quickly help us protect our friends and loved ones from getting sick or dying,” said Racine Mayor Cory Mason.  

The incentive program will go into effect on Wednesday, Aug. 18 and remain in place as long as gift cards are available.