State of Hawai‘i, Healthcare, Business Communities Launch New Vaccination Initiative

The State of Hawai‘i has launched its #HIGotVaccinated Month campaign in an effort to get more people in Hawai‘i vaccinated. The program runs 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; while the Hawai‘i Department of Health and healthcare providers are making the vaccine more widely available with more locations.

“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, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi, Maui Health, MDX Hawaiʻi and the Queen’s Health Systems are working with the business community to offer statewide discounts for vaccinated Hawai‘i residents.

“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 Hawaiʻi, 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 online.

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

To find a vaccination site, visit HawaiiCOVID19.com/vaccine.

DOH also continues vaccination outreach through its public health nursing staff and its COVID-19 Outreach and Public Health Education 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.