Upper Arlington sees 16% increase in vaccinated city employees through incentive program
The city of Upper Arlington saw a 16% increase in employees who became vaccinated against COVID-19 following the establishment of an incentive program.
On Nov. 8, Upper Arlington City Council approved a recommendation by City Manager Steve Schoeny and Human Resources Director Abby Cochran to provide $1,000 bonuses to all full-time employees who are fully vaccinated by Dec. 20.
According to the City Manger's Office, 169 full-time city employees provided documentation by the Dec. 20 deadline that they had either two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, as well as those who have received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Of those, 26 became fully vaccinated after the incentive program was announced, said Brian Hedge, Upper Arlington community affairs manager.
"That is a 16% increase in the number of vaccinated employees," Hedge said.
According to the city manager's office, the city paid out $169,000 in bonuses. Council had authorized up to $250,000 for the program.
The move came after a Nov. 8 staff report from Schoeny and Cochran to council said the "justification for this incentive is largely financial," adding that every member of the city's health plan who is diagnosed with COVID-19 costs the city more than $700.
Additionally, the report said, a quarantined firefighter costs the city $3,850 in overtime.
At the Nov. 8 meeting, Schoeny also said one Upper Arlington Police Division officer has "some long-term COVID effects" that will cost the city $19,000 in overtime "to make up for shift problems and things like that."
Hedge said the city doesn't track work hours lost from city employees due to COVID-19. However, he said the city's COVID-19-related health-care costs from its medical insurance plan were $80,000 from the start of the pandemic through Jan. 11.
Hedge said although some employees remain unvaccinated, the City Manager's Office views the increase in vaccinated employees that came following the announcement of the bonus program as a positive development.
"Given the added protection that we were able to achieve, particularly in police and public service, paying the incentive was a smart policy choice," he said. "It is clear from the data and anecdotal evidence that the incentive did change decision making for many individuals.
"With the recent rise in cases and hospitalizations, the incentive helped to provide protection to our staff, residents and health plan."
While there aren't plans for additional bonuses for employees who obtain COVID-19 booster vaccines, Hedge said city officials continue to encourage those working for the city to become vaccinated.
The city also has a policy that requires new hires to be vaccinated.
"We continue to educate employees about recent guidance from the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on vaccination, boosters and other COVID-19 prevention measures," he said. "All new employees are required to be fully-vaccinated to work for the city."
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Upper Arlington sees 16% increase in vaccinated city employees through incentive program
