Peach Tree Times

Efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates are continuing across the state as a metro Atlanta health clinic is offering free $50 gift cards to residents who turn out to receive their shot. 

The Peachtree City clinic provides free medical care to those who otherwise cannot afford it; Mike Conway, executive director of Healing Bridge Clinic, told FOX 5 Atlanta. Despite this, he said free health care is often not enough to convince some — including poor and minority patients — to get vaccinated against COVID-19, leading to a grant program offering free vaccinations and $50 Kroger gift cards for every shot. 

“That’s a game-changer for these families when it comes to putting gas in the car or buying groceries," Conway said. “You know, getting what they need that you and I might take for granted."

With medical officials across the state stressing that COVID-19 vaccination rates are drastically lower in poorer neighborhoods and in minority communities, the campaign hopes to increase the number of people being vaccinated in those areas, the report said. 

Funding for the $50 Kroger Grocery Store gift cards is made possible through a grant program sponsored by the government that also covers the cost of the vaccinations, which are being targeted to underserved poor and minority communities, the report said. 

A health care worker who deals directly with the patients at Healing Bridge Clinic told FOX 5 that residents in the area still have trust issues when it comes to taking the shot and still aren't fully educated about how the vaccines work to protect them.

While the Healing Bridge Clinic only serves residents in Fayette County, those interested may be able to find a similar clinic in other Georgia counties, the report said.