The city of Racine is directing $600,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act allocation to fund a COVID vaccine incentive program.
The city is offering gift cards to residents who receive a COVID vaccine at a clinic run by the public health department at city hall, AMI Expeditionary Healthcare’s clinic at Regency Mall and a variety of pop-up clinics throughout the county.
Unvaccinated residents who receive a vaccine qualify for a $50 gift card per dose of the Pfzier or Moderna vaccine, or $100 per dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Those who are already vaccinated and bring unvaccinated residents to get a shot at eligible locations can also receive a $50 gift card.
The Common Council approved the ARPA funding allocation Tuesday. The incentive program begins today and will run as long as gift cards are available.
In Racine County, 46.3% of residents have completed their COVID vaccine series; 49.9% have received at least one dose, according to the Department of Health Services data. Statewide, 50.2% of residents have completed their series, while 53.4% have received at least one dose.
“Like the rest of the country, we are now seeing increasing numbers of city residents contracting the Delta variant of COVID-19,” said mayor Cory Mason. “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 to quickly help us protect our friends and loved ones from getting sick or dying.”
Racine’s gift card incentive program is available at these sites:
- The City of Racine Public Health Department’s vaccine clinic at City Hall – appointments can be made here and walk-ins are allowed every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The AMI Health vaccine clinic at Regency Mall with walk in hours on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- City or AMI Health’s pop-up clinics throughout the community. A list of those clinics can be found at here.
