Achieving the White House’s goal of vaccinating 70% of all U.S. adults by July 4^th will require a major mobilization, with everyone pitching in. That’s why we’re excited to share the news that NACHC is teaming up with the White House, long-time partner Direct Relief, and our new friend, DoorDash, on a COVID-19 vaccination initiative designed to bolster local vaccination efforts across the country.

DoorDash donating $2 million in gift cards as incentives for COVID-19 vaccinations

DoorDash is donating $2 million in gift cards to be distributed by Direct Relief to Community Health Centers across the country to support vaccine outreach and participation. In addition, notes DoorDash, the gift cards can help people who have been recently vaccinated put food on the table and rest, reducing the burden of potential side effects.

“DoorDash is proud to team up with the White House and donate gift cards to bolster efforts to vaccinate over 70% of Americans by July 4th. We applaud the Administration for its ambitious public health initiatives, and are grateful to our partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers and Direct Relief, for their commitment to expanding vaccine access. We’re thrilled that these gift cards can help people get a meal delivered from a local restaurant so they can focus on resting after receiving their vaccination. In total, we’ve provided more than $3 million to help support vaccine outreach this year and we hope that this collaboration will play a part in getting our communities back to normal safely and responsibly,” said Tony Xu, CEO and Co-Founder of DoorDash.

White House push to vaccinate 70% of adults by July 4^th

DoorDash’s donation is timed to give health centers’ ongoing vaccination efforts an extra boost, in support of the White House’s “National Month of Action” to vaccinate 70% of U.S. adults, announced earlier this week.

“As part of our nationwide push to get millions of Americans vaccinated before Independence Day, companies, non-profits, localities, and organizations across the country are stepping up to the plate to encourage vaccinations among their customers and in their communities,” said Ian Sams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “Now, thanks to DoorDash, people who go to a community health center to get vaccinated could get a free meal after getting their shot. Examples like this show how our nation is rallying together to protect people from COVID-19 and bring this pandemic to an end.”

Between the use of incentives like DoorDash’s gift cards, extended clinic hours, mobile vaccine clinics, and many other creative tactics, Federally Qualified Health Centers are pulling out the stops to make sure the vaccines make it to marginalized and vulnerable communities. As NACHC CEO and President Tom Van Coverden said:

“We are proud and grateful to be a part of an historic effort to create a path out of the pandemic. America’s Health Centers have administered more than 10 million vaccine doses and have increased the number of vaccines they initiate each week by almost five-fold from January 8 to early May. As we begin the last mile of this vaccination campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19, health center efforts are now focused on facilitating vaccinations in underserved communities with education, outreach, trusted information, support services and now, incentives. This last mile is where the real work begins. We stand ready to work with the Biden Administration and partners such as Direct Relief and DoorDash to make the distribution of vaccines as equitable and accessible as possible.”

 How health centers can participate in the DoorDash gift card program

Direct Relief will distribute the gift cards to health centers during the next few weeks as part of the National Month of Action to encourage vaccinations.

Click here to determine if your community is served by DoorDash.

About the Donation

• Gift cards are meant to incentivize vaccinations for health center patients and are available for Federally Qualified Health Centers/Look-Alikes within the United States, D.C, or Puerto Rico.  
• Gift cards are valued at $25 each.
• Each health center organization is eligible to receive one pack of 50 gift cards.
• Gift cards will be shipped to your health center soon after your request is made.
• Direct Relief aims to support every health center that makes a request but cannot guarantee that all requests will be fulfilled.

About the Gift Cards

• The $25 value may be used for food and service delivery charges.
• A credit card is not required to redeem the gift card unless the order exceeds $25.
• Multiple gift cards may be combined for an order.
• Gift cards do not expire.

HHS guidelines for incentives for COVID-19 vaccinations

Please refer to the HHS OIG FAQ for more information on the provision of incentives for COVID-19 vaccinations by FQHCs at https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/authorities-faq.asp

Share how you are using DoorDash gift cards on social media

If you wish to share examples of your health center using the gift cards at a vaccination event, post photos on social media with the hashtag #WeCanDoThis and tagging @DoorDash and @NACHC

Additional information:

White House: President Biden Announces National Month of Action to Mobilize an All-of-America Sprint to Get More People Vaccinated by July 4th

DoorDash: DoorDash Donates $2 Million in Community Credits to Support the White House’s COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts