Jennifer Crow has been caring for her elderly parents who have multiple sclerosis for a decade. After her father had a stroke in December, the family became serious in their conversations with a retirement community – and learned that one vaccination offered by Covid-19.
“They call it a convenience, like ‘We have a pool and a vaccination program,'” said Crow, a librarian in southern Maryland. “It definitely appealed to me.” According to her, it feels like vaccines would ease her worries about whether a joint life situation would be safe for her parents; she has lupus, an autoimmune condition.
As the death toll from the coronavirus increases and the demand for Covid-19 vaccines dwarfs, an army of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and long-term care functions is tasked with getting shots in the arms. Some also use the role to attract new business – the last reminder that healthcare, even in the midst of a global pandemic, is a commercial effort where some see opportunities to be seized.
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‘Most private companies that distribute vaccines are motivated by the need for public health. At some point, their DNA also kicks in, “said Roberta Clarke, associate professor emeritus of marketing at Boston University.
Among senior housing facilities – which recorded the largest drop in occupancy last year – some businesses are marketing vaccinations to recruit residents. Sarah Ordover, owner of Assisted Living Locators Los Angeles, a referral agency, said many in her area offer vaccines ‘as a sweetener’ to prospective residents, sometimes if they agree to move in front of a scheduled vaccination clinic.
Oakmont Senior Living, a leading 34-location community chain based primarily in California, advertised “exclusive access” to the vaccines via social media and email. A call to action on social media reads: “Book your apartment now to plan your appointment with the vaccine!”
Although the vaccination was a selling point for Crow, it was not for her parents, who were not concerned about contracting Covid-19 and did not want to relinquish their independence, she said. Eventually, they moved in with her sister, who was able to arrange home care services.
This marketing approach may influence others. Oakmont Senior Living, based in Irvine, reported 92 relocations in its communities last month, an increase of 13 percent compared to January 2020.
But some object to facilities that use vaccines as a marketing tool. “I think it’s unethical,” said Dr. Michael Carome, director of health research at Public Citizen, said. Although he believes facilities should provide vaccines to residents, he fears that the addition of strings to a vaccine could seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to vaccines, force them to sign a lease.
Tony Chicotel, staff advocate for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, is concerned that seniors and their families may make less informed decisions when they are encouraged to sign up by a certain date. “You think so,” I have to move in next week, or I’ll not get the chance. I do not have time to read everything in this 38-page contract, ” he said.
Oakmont Senior Living responded by email: “Potential residents and their families are always given the information they need to have confidence in a decision to choose Oakmont.”
Some people say that facilities simply meet their demand for Covid-19 vaccines. ‘Who is going to put an elderly person without a vaccine? Congregational life was the focus of the virus, ”said retired philanthropy consultant Patti Patrizi. She and her son recently chose a retirement community in Los Angeles for her ex-husband for numerous reasons unrelated to the vaccines. However, they accelerated the move by two weeks to coincide with a vaccination clinic.
“It was definitely not a marketing tool for me,” Patrizi said. “It was my insistence that he needed it before he could live there.”
The concept of using vaccines to market a business is not new. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic ushered in flu shots into the pharmacy, and pharmacies have meanwhile prescribed flu vaccines by increasing sales and prescriptions from the shop window. Many offer prospective vaccine recipients coupons, gift cards or reward points.
A few pharmacies have continued these marketing activities while rolling out Covid-19 shots. At its Covid-19 information site, CVS Pharmacy encouraged visitors to sign up for their rewards program to earn credits for vaccinations. The supermarket and pharmacy chain Albertsons and its subsidiaries have a button on their vaccination sites for Covid-19 that says, “Transfer your prescription.”
But the pandemic is not as usual, says Alison Taylor, a professor of business ethics at New York University. “This is an emergency for public health,” she said. Companies distributing Covid-19 vaccines should ask themselves, “How can we make society herd faster?” rather than “How many customers can I log in to?” she said.
In an email response, CVS said that the reference to its rewards program had been removed from the vaccination page Covid-19. Patients deserve no reward for receiving a Covid-19 shot at the pharmacies, the company said, and the focus remains on administering the vaccines.
Albertsons said in an email that the Covid-19 vaccine information pages are a one-time source and that information on additional services appears at the very bottom of this page.
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Boston University Clarke sees no harm in these marketing activities. “As long as the patient is free to say ‘no, thank you’ and does not think he will be punished for not getting a vaccine, it is not a problem,” she said.
At least one healthcare provider offers complimentary services to people who are eligible for Covid-19 vaccines. The membership-based primary care provider One Medical – which now vaccinates people in several states, including California – offers a free 90-day membership to groups, such as people 75 and older, that a local health department has commissioned the company to vaccinate according to an email from a company spokesperson who noted that the supply of vaccines and the suitability requirements vary by country.
The company said it offers the membership – which includes online vaccination bookings, two-dose reminders and telesealth visits on demand for acute questions – because it believes it can and should do so, especially if many people are struggling to access care .
While this could very well be the motives of the company, a free trial is also a marketing tactic, said dr. Bob Kocher, investor for health technology in Silicon Valley said. Whether it’s Costco or One Medical, any company offering a free sample hopes recipients will buy the product, he said.
Offering free trial companies can pay off for providers like One Medical, he said; local health departments can refer many patients, and converting a portion of the vaccine recipients into members can provide a cheaper way for providers to get new patients than finding them on their own.
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‘Normally there is no free stuff at a provider, and you have to be sick to try healthcare. This is a very unique circumstance, ”says Kocher, who does not exclude the promotion of public health and the use of an unusual marketing opportunity here. “Vaccination is a very valuable way to help people,” he said. “A free trial is also a great way to market your service.”
One Medical insisted that the membership trial is not a marketing ploy, noting that the company did not collect credit card information during registration or automatically paid trial participants for paid membership. However, patients will receive an email before completing their trial, with an invitation to sign up for membership.
Health Equality advocates say more people should pay attention to people who slip under the radar of marketers, yet run the greatest risk of dying from Covid-19 and having the least chance of being vaccinated.
Kathryn Stebner, an attorney for the abuse of the elderly in San Francisco, noted that the high cost of many relief facilities for the working class and colored people is often prohibited.
‘African Americans die [from Covid-19] at three times as many as white people, ”she said. “Do they get these vaccine offers?”