Thread by @JJackson_RN

Thoughts on the $100 vaccine incentive in AB (and vaccine distribution generally)- A thread 🧵
#abhealth #AbLeg

People are furious that the government will now offer $100 gift cards with vaccines. The outrage generally falls along the “I got my vaccine without getting money, now you are paying people for bad behaviour! It’s not fair!”

When we look at how behaviour is created, the gold standard is the COM-B model from @SusanMichie
…plementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…

Behaviour is created through:
Capability
Motivation
Opportunity

(For any folks that are still using the ‘Stages of Change’ model, it’s not evidence based and is no longer the best tool to use)

The conversation in AB centres around the idea that the $100 incentive impacts MOTIVATION, but the purpose of it, as stated by the premier, is to impact CAPABILITY.

If someone can’t afford the gas or childcare to get vaccinated, the $100 can bridge the gap. This is a good thing

For people with entrenched beliefs about not being vaccinated, $100 is not enough to tip the scales on the Motivation front. It’s to help with any barriers around Capability.

If you didn’t have to worry about Capability for your vaccine, congratulations! Others are not so lucky

A big dose of checking the privilege is needed here, folks.

Now, how do we move the scales on Motivation and Opportunity?

Motivation needs vaccine passports. FOMO is an extremely powerful motivator, enhanced (weaponized?) by social media.

The vaccine passport provides the motivation for anyone who wants to go to hockey with friends

A vaccine passport is NOT only for people who have been vaccinated. It Motivates those who haven’t. It’s hard to imagine a stronger motivator than social exclusion.

Now, Opportunity. This requires a hyper local approach. We need to move nurses from large centralized facilities and have them go door to door. Esp those that speak multiple languages. We also need extended hours available and a vaccine on demand taxi

The current system is for people who a) speak English, b) have cell phones, and c) trust the system. There are lots who fall outside this.

A hyper local approach (ie door to door) would help fix this.

We also need to recognize the very legitimate hesitations for PoC. For generations, Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized groups have been experimented on by research scientists

(Look up Tuskegee, the Vitamin D studies, and the history of gynaecology)

This is a completely reasonable consideration in vaccine hesitancy!! Not in the same league as the ‘I read the internet’ folks

We can overcome it through trust. Local experts like family docs and pharmacists, nurses from the community.

Hold vaccine clinics in places people feel safe, like Churches/ Mosques/ Temples/ Synagogues. Get local leaders to facilitate this. Emphasize trust through multi-lingual resources and practitioners.

The above covers Capability, Motivation, and Opportunity, which would get us the Behaviour of vaccination in AB.

The people protesting- we aren’t going to reach them. So don’t waste energy trying. Vaccinate everyone else and we will still be ok.

So I’m ok with gift cards /end