Hawai‘i launches new vaccination initiative

The State of Hawai‘i and community partners are expanding efforts to get more people in Hawai‘i vaccinated. #HIGotVaccinated Month will run through June and is aimed at educating and motivating Hawai‘i residents who have not yet received COVID-19 vaccinations.

The business community is working together to offer incentives for vaccinated Hawai‘i residents, and Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) and healthcare providers are making the vaccine available in more locations than ever.

“We appreciate the community rallying around the state’s COVID-19 vaccination effort and stepping up to encourage more Hawai‘i residents to get vaccinated,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char. “Thanks to our partners, there are more reasons than ever to get vaccinated.”

Adventist Health Castle, Hawaii Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Maui Health, MDX Hawaii, and the Queen’s Health Systems are working with the business community to offer statewide discounts for vaccinated Hawai‘i residents. A list of offers can be found at www.HIGotVaccinated.com.

“Collaboration on this scale between government, healthcare, business and community partners make Hawai‘i unique. This is a very important step in bringing this pandemic to an end and allowing our residents and visitors to resume normal activities,” said Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the trade association for the state’s hospitals and other healthcare providers.

Businesses statewide are offering discounts and prize giveaways throughout the month of June. A list of discounts, entry instructions, and terms and conditions can be found at www.HIGotVaccinated.com.

This program is also supported by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Hawaii Restaurant Association, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce of Commerce, Kauai Chamber of Commerce, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce. Promotional support is provided by Hawaii News Now, iHeart Media, KHON, KITV, Oahu Publications, and Spectrum.

DOH has also begun an information campaign that includes four new public service announcements:

• Hawai‘i physicians answer common questions that young adults have about the COVID-19 vaccines
• The University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball community on how vaccination helps all community members get back to the things they love
• Two new stories from DOH’s Live with No Regrets series, in which COVID-19 survivors lay out how their diagnosis changed their lives

Throughout the month of June, vaccines are available at more locations than ever. Find a convenient site at HawaiiCOVID19.com/vaccine.

DOH also continues vaccination outreach through its public health nursing staff and its COVID-19 Outreach and Public Health Education (COPHE) Project. These efforts include partnerships with Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino community organizations to encourage vaccination, translation of materials into nearly 20 languages, and hundreds of outreach events.