Editorial
Op-ed
Real incentives
It’s still mind-boggling to us that skeptics
need to be bribed into getting a COVID
19 vaccine with the promise of
free food, lottery tickets or raffl es to win
fabulous prizes.
Getting the vaccine to protect ourselves
and our families, fi nally end this pandemic
and be able to enjoy life as it was pre-COVID
ought to be enough of an incentive for all of
us to roll up our sleeves.
Yet the number of people getting COVID
19 vaccines continues to slow — despite
the overwhelming evidence that they work,
and the vast majority of recipients experiencing
little to no side effects. So the city and
state are throwing out every incentive they
can to convince New Yorkers to put aside
their skepticism and get their shot.
And while scratch-off lottery tickets or
free French fries are a nice reward, it’s hard
to imagine that these little incentives will
surmount the large skepticism some have
over getting vaccinated.
If New York’s goal is to get most, if not all,
residents vaccinated, then they’re going to
have to kick the incentives up several notches
— but it won’t come without signifi cant cost.
New York state could propose raffl es to
relieve student or credit card debt, or offer
four-year scholarships to city and state
universities. Another drawing could relieve
tenants and small landlords of massive debts
incurred during the pandemic, and give
them the chance to recover.
Again, this would be highly expensive —
and the state would need to dip into its own
resources or federal relief funds to make it
happen.
Yet smaller, but more dynamic, incentive
programs can still be effective in overcoming
most vaccine hesitancy in New York.
We like the city’s vaccine contest program
offering New Yorkers tickets to Broadway
shows or “staycation” packages where they
can support the city’s fi nest hotels and restaurants.
The MTA also offered up free 7-day
MetroCards at its pop-up vaccine sites — a
program that should be further extended.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also announced on
Tuesday another intriguing incentive program:
raffl es of $50 gift cards for vaccinated New
Yorkers to shop at local small businesses.
Offering these kinds of incentives would
surely convince unvaccinated New Yorkers
to line up at their local vaccine sites and roll
up their sleeves.
But there should be one catch: These giveaways
should also be open to those who’ve
already received the vaccine without needing
any extra incentive to do so. It’s only fair.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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Managing mental
health in a postquarantine
BY LINDA GIULIANO
As vaccine distribution increases,
New Yorkers are preparing to
resume personal and professional
lives disrupted by COVID. While most of
us are looking forward to returning to a
version of our pre-pandemic lives, we also
know that many of us are expected to experience
anxiety and even sadness as we
re-enter these once familiar and comfortable
places and interactions.
That’s because as we’ve all been enduring
the direct crisis brought on by COVID,
another crisis has been growing—the
mental health fallout from the pandemic.
While the city and state need to build out
the mental health services infrastructure to
meet what will surely be increased demand,
individuals can also take steps to prepare
themselves for a post-quarantine world.
All of us have experienced some level of
trauma over the past year, whether losing
a loved one to COVID, juggling work with
homeschooling, or being deeply impacted
by social isolation. The human brain typically
reacts to trauma in a “fi ght or fl ight”
pattern, but neuroscience shows we can
take actions to regulate the response.
Learning to identify and manage these reactions
is known as “emotional regulation”
and it’s something we should al lpractice—
with ourselves and our children. These are
fairly simple short and longer-term strategies
to try, with the aim to interrupt the
stress reaction cycle and increase calm.
In the short term, pay attention to how
you are feeling and what you are thinking.
world
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
Are your palms sweating? Do you have
racing thoughts? Take note of what has
triggered this response—was it reading a
bleak news story, receiving a stressful work
email, or encountering a crowd for the fi rst
time in months?
Once you have identifi ed the feeling and
trigger, stop and take several deep breaths.
Engage your senses by looking at color,
listening to music, touching a soft fabric,
or spraying a lavender fragrance.
If possible, move to a space that offers
less stimulation, and reach out to a reliable
friend to connect.
Expressing yourself creatively can be a
helpful grounding practice to assist with
emotional regulation in the long term.
Creative acts can include writing, singing,
dancing, playing an instrument, crafting,
cooking, attending a religious service,
hiking, letter-writing, or giving back to
your community. Finding our way back
to “regular” life presents an opportunity
to establish new rituals and new ways to
relate to others.
When COVID came to New York City,
our lives changed overnight, but the transition
to life after lockdown will inevitably
require much longer. Give yourself and
those around you grace during this time,
and reach out to loved ones or a professional
if you need additional support.
Linda Giuliano LCSW-R is the Director
of Mental Health Services at Greenwich
House, a nonprofi t settlement house that
enriches the lives of children, families and
seniors through arts and education programs,
health programs and senior services.
8 May 27, 2021 Schneps Media
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