United Way offering free COVID-19 vaccine trips statewide to underserved communities
United Way of the Greater Triangle started offering free round-trip rides this week to COVID-19 vaccine appointments statewide to eligible people.
The service, known as Ride United NC and first announced in late March, offers free transportation to appointments to those who are age 55 or older, uninsured, unbanked, or members of households considered low income by federal standards, which is 150% of the federal poverty line.
For a household of three, the federal poverty line is just under $22,000 in annual income, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Those who are eligible can call 1-844-771-RIDE to schedule transportation to their vaccine appointments.
The phone line is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m and has Spanish-speaking people on staff to answer calls.
Ride United NC offers the rides in partnership with Lyft, a ride-sharing service, and the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Lyft currently operates only in some metro areas in the state, including Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte.
NCDOT, through local transit agencies, will provide transportation for more rural parts of North Carolina.
The call center for Ride United NC can take up to 1,500 calls per day.
United Way of the Greater Triangle CEO Eric Gunkian told The N&O in late March that Ride United NC’s goal is provide 100,000 round-trip rides.
The United Way is accepting donations for the program online, including from individuals at any dollar amount, at unitedwaytriangle.org/rideunitednc/.
Call center to provide vaccine information
United Way has partnered with Pillar Consulting, a Triangle nonprofit that promotes health literacy, to provide information about the the COVID-19 vaccines, especially for those who may be hesitant to take a shot, through the Ride United call center.
“There’s vaccine equity, there’s vaccine distribution, and then there’s just kind of this place where people have misinformation as well,” said epidemiologist Dr. Bahby Banks, founder of Pillar Consulting. “What we want to do is bridge the gap in that space where people don’t have the information they need.”
Banks said the staff at the call center will use a script they will have on hand to provide information to those who are hesitant about the vaccine.
“We understand it. We get you. We see you. However, this is the science that we have today, and it is sound. So, if you have any questions around this, we can help you unpackage that to help you make the best decision for your health,” Banks said.
One example of misinformation that Banks gave was some of the concern surrounding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was suspended due to extremely rare blood clots found in six cases out of 6.8 million doses administered.
“People are panicking over clots. Well, one thing that we can do is make it plain for you, you have a higher likelihood of getting clots with birth control, or smoking, or, hello, if you get COVID. That’s way higher than the likelihood of you getting clots in the vaccine trial,” Banks said.
The J&J vaccine was suspended temporarily until the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can further examine the cases of blood clots.
More information on the vaccines can be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines.
