The Cook County Department of Public Health is offering food pantry vouchers and tickets to Six Flags Great America as incentives to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates in the south suburbs.
The vouchers and amusement park tickets are being distributed at the county’s Harvey vaccination site in the gym at Thornton Township High School, 15001 Broadway.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through the end of next week, those getting the vaccine will receive a voucher for a food basket at the Thornton Township Food Pantry, 15340 Page Ave., Harvey.
On Wednesdays of this week and next, those getting their shot will receive a Six Flags ticket.
Supplies of food pantry vouchers and Six Flags tickets are not limited, according to the county.
The Harvey vaccination site offers the Pfizer two-dose vaccine as well as the single dose shot from Johnson & Johnson.
It is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays.
Cook County also operates vaccination sites at T.F. South High School in Lansing, 18500 Burnham Ave., and in Matteson, at 4647 Promenade Way, near U.S. 30 and Cicero Avenue.
The Lansing vaccination site is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Matteson is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
Late last month, the county closed mass vaccination sites at South Suburban College in South Holland and at the Tinley Park Convention Center. County officials noted demand for vaccines had fallen despite sites now allowing walk-ins and no longer requiring appointments.
According to the county, a bit more than 53% of suburban residents have had at least one vaccine dose and that 42% of residents have been fully vaccinated.
Harvey and several other south suburbs have been targeted by the county for enhanced vaccine outreach efforts, including mobile vaccination sites.
Health officials earlier this year identified 32 communities for special emphasis, considering factors such as community demographics, preexisting health conditions of residents, and access to transportation and health care.
Numbers of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths were also figured into the “COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index.”
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In late March, some south suburbs were seeing single-digit percentages of residents who had gotten either their initial dose or were fully vaccinated, but county data continues to show overall vaccination rates in the south suburbs lagging behind other areas of suburban Cook County.
County health officials said they’re hoping the food pantry vouchers and Six Flags tickets will be an incentive and push vaccination rates higher.
“Harvey and its surrounding communities are experiencing lower levels of vaccine uptake than other regions of Cook County, so we want to do all we can to encourage people to be safe from this deadly virus and get vaccinated,” Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer and co-lead of the county health department, said in a news release.
The most recent county health department statistics show 28% of Harvey residents had gotten at least their initial dose and 20% have been fully vaccinated.
In Dolton, another suburb targeted for special attention, 34% of residents have gotten their first dose while 26% are fully vaccinated, according to the county.
In comparison, 66% of Orland Park residents have so far received their initial dose while 55% are fully vaccinated, according to the county.