COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – It has now been about a month since Columbus Public Health (CPH) ended its vaccine incentive program, Vax Cash.

The program, which began in July, gave people getting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at certain CPH locations a $100 Visa gift card.

“We’re really proud of this program,” said Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts.

Nearly 27,000 people were vaccinated throughout the program, according to CPH. That comes out to about $2.7 million in gift cards, which Roberts said was well worth the cost.

“These are lives that will be saved, and can you put a dollar amount on someone’s life?” she said. “I say you can’t. These are hospitalizations that could be avoided, these are days off of work for people who only get paid when they show up to work. So they can be preventing that illness and so they can go to work and provide for their family, so I think these are dollars well served and well invested in our community.”

Roberts does not have a definitive number, but she estimates half of the people who came in throughout Vax Cash would not have if it weren’t for the incentive. Prior to Vax Cash, 31 percent of the people CPH vaccinated were minorities, according to Roberts; that number has gone up to 60 percent with Vax Cash.

“What’s most important is how we were really able to make a significant impact in the disparity gap we saw with vaccinations,” she said.

CPH has seen a decrease in vaccine demand since mid-January, which Roberts attributes to Vax Cash ending and COVID-19 numbers going down.

CPH will likely use a program similar to Vax Cash in the future, according to Dr. Robers.

“I think it’s a very useful intervention that we will use again,” she said. “Whether we use it for COVID-19 or use it for something else, I’m not certain. But this has been a very useful intervention and it has proven its effectiveness.”