RALEIGH: Today, Governor Roy Cooper visited a vaccine clinic at StarMed Healthcare in Charlotte to see more North Carolinians receive their vaccine. Mecklenburg County is one of the four counties participating in NCDHHS’ Summer Cash Cards initiative. 

“Getting your vaccine is an easy and effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Gov. Cooper said. “These innovative efforts are helping us reach people from all communities so we can emerge from this pandemic quicker and safer.”

The StarMed Healthcare clinic is an outdoor drive-thru site, making it easy and convenient for people to get their shot. Located in a historically marginalized area of the county, the clinic is doing outreach to distribute vaccines to underserved communities.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is currently running a Summer Cash Cards initiative in Mecklenburg, Guilford, Rowan and Rockingham counties. People getting their first dose of the vaccine and the people driving them will receive a $25 gift card. The pilot program is happening now through June 8, as part of the Bring Back Summer campaign. More than 283 organizations have joined the campaign which has reached an estimated 1.4 million North Carolinians.

“StarMed Healthcare is excited to welcome Governor Cooper to our west Charlotte location on Tuckaseegee Road,” said Michael Estramonte, StarMed Healthcare CEO. “Of all our vaccination sites, StarMed is particularly proud of being able to work in a traditionally underserved area whereby we have vaccinated over 75,000 people, of which most are residents of our Black and brown communities.” 

To date, more than 8.3 million doses have been administered in North Carolina, with more than 53 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated and 49.2 percent of adults fully vaccinated. Nearly 80 percent of the state’s 65 and older population have been at least partially vaccinated.

Visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov (English) or Vacunate.nc.gov (Spanish) to find the latest information on vaccine distribution in North Carolina. The state’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline number is 888-675-4567. People can find nearby vaccine providers using NCDHHS’ online tool, Find a Vaccine Location.

Video footage of this event will be available for media use here. 

Still photos will be available here, credit to Khadejah Nikouyeh of the Charlotte Observer.