LOS ANGELES (CNS) — LA Care Health Plan announced a COVID-19 vaccination incentive program Monday to encourage its unvaccinated Medi-Cal and Cal MediConnect members to get a jab.

Eligible Medi-Cal and CMC members who get either their first or second COVID-19 vaccine will receive a $50 gift card, while supplies last. The offer applies to eligible members 12 years and older who received their first or second shot on or after Nov. 1.

According to the health plan, just under 61% of LA Care's Medi-Cal and Cal MediConnect members aged 12 and up have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

"Given that roughly 30% of Los Angeles County residents are Medi-Cal beneficiaries, that is far from where we need it to be," Dr. Richard Seidman, LA Care's chief medical officer, said in a statement. "Our members are vaccinated at nearly 20 percentage points lower than the community at large here in Los Angeles, a reality seen for Medi-Cal beneficiaries statewide. We need to do everything possible to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among our members to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths and get past this pandemic. Our hope is that the gift cards might be the tipping point to convince people not yet vaccinated to do so."

Gift card supplies are limited, so LA Care urged members to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Those who do will receive a postcard in about four weeks with instructions on how to select a gift card. It may take up to 12 weeks to receive the selected gift card.

The LA Care Health Plan serves more than 2.4 million members in Los Angeles County, making it the largest publicly operated health plan in the country.