Health providers and community leaders will soon be offering incentives including free money to reach those who are still vaccine-hesitant.

The whole point of this vaccine outreach effort is to improve vaccine rates for the lowest vaccinated neighborhoods in the city. It's an effort that Springfield's NAACP has been pushing for months now and hopes to continue.

The president of the NAACP, Teresa Haley, said they’ve had eight vaccine clinics in Springfield so far and will continue to hold them as long as they are needed.

The new vaccine campaign offering incentives to those who get the shot is a partnership with Springfield Memorial Hospital, HSHS St. John’s hospital, SIU School of Medicine, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Those that get vaccinated at upcoming walk-in clinics will receive a $50 gift card. People who get the one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will receive a $100 gift card.

"Because there is such a large vaccine hesitancy among the black and brown community we were trying to think of other ways to get people out and what better incentive is there than to give someone a gift card.," Haley said. "If we can get people to come out and get that vaccine, especially those who have the hesitancy, we are hoping it makes a difference."

The incentives are being funded by a grant from a health insurance company called Molina Healthcare.

Haley said these vaccine clinics will be held at the NAACP office building. The first one is Saturday, October 9th and there will be a second clinic on October 16th. Incentives will be offered there as well.

Officials say people can also get vaccinated at Union Baptist Church, Third Presbyterian Church, One in a Million, and Boyd's New Generation.

All clinics will be giving out monetary gift cards but only for the clinics held in October.

The Springfield zip codes with the lowest rate of fully vaccinated people are 62702 at 48% and 62703 at 40% according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.