New city program pays businesses to get people vaccinated

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards visited Far Rockaway last week to encourage residents to get vaccinated. Photo via Queens Borough President/Twitter

By Rachel Vick

Elected officials from Queens and across the city gathered in Far Rockaway Thursday to inspire the local community to get vaccinated and to announce a new incentive program.

Borough President Donovan Richards, his counterparts from Brooklyn and the Bronx, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shared the details of the program, which offers $100 to businesses who are able to inspire community members to get their shots.

“New Yorkers have been resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially here in Queens,” Richards said. “However the pandemic is far from over given the rise of the Delta variant. It is more important than ever to ensure everyone gets vaccinated so they can protect themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors. The vaccines are safe, effective, and free.”

Small businesses, community-based organizations, parent-teacher associations, houses of worship and other local institutions are all eligible to participate. Each organization is eligible for up to $20,000 in incentives, and the patients themselves will still receive the $100 as promised during the initial rollout.

Organizations can sign up online by filling out a form with an explanation of their community work to be added to the city database.

The new program is intended to tackle the problem of businesses' recovery and vaccine outreach through trusted partnerships in historically underserved communities.

As of Thursday, Far Rockaway and Edgemere ZIP Code 11691 had the lowest vaccination rate of any in the City.

“We must address vaccinations through a racial justice lens. In Far Rockaway and Southeast Queens, the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, including the new Delta Variant, has exposed deep healthcare inequities that disproportionately affect Black and Hispanic communities,” said Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson. “Medical racism has effectively paved the way for vaccine curiosity, cynicism, and conspiracy theories that circulate across our social networks.”