CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – A trip to the doctor could come with a nice little bonus for some Contra Costa County patients: a $30 Target gift card.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider a proposal on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to purchase up to 2,000 gift cards as an incentive for patients to receive preventive care and other medical services.
The proposed purchase would cost up to $60,000, with each card worth $30, according to a county staff report. As of the county’s latest available online record, the item was awaiting action by supervisors.
Which Visits Could Qualify?
The proposal focuses on patients served by Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and the county health centers. It is intended to encourage care in areas where the county has identified gaps or health disparities.
The staff report lists several priorities:
- Well-care visits for children from birth through age 21.
- Childhood immunizations, developmental assessments and lead screenings.
- Recommended cancer screenings.
- Pregnancy-related and postpartum visits.
- Follow-up care for patients managing high blood pressure or diabetes.
The county also identifies reducing disparities affecting African American patients as a focus of the proposal.
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The report does not provide a complete list of eligibility rules or say that every patient who attends one of these visits would receive a gift card. It also does not specify when the cards would become available, how patients would be selected or whether a patient could receive more than one.
Patients interested in the incentive can ask their county health care provider whether they qualify. Contra Costa Health says patients can also call its health center appointment line at 800-495-8885, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Why Gift Cards?
County health officials say incentives can help encourage patients to complete screenings and other recommended care, including people who otherwise feel healthy.
The report also connects the effort to the health system’s performance goals. Some funding is tied to health outcomes through the Quality Incentive Pool and related pay-for-performance programs. The county says meeting annual performance targets helps support more than $200 million in Medi-Cal funding each year.
The proposed $60,000 purchase would be a one-time expense funded through Hospital Enterprise Fund funding, according to the report.
A Similar Program Was Approved Last Year
The gift card idea is not entirely new for Contra Costa County.
In November 2025, supervisors approved a purchase of up to 2,000 Target gift cards worth $25 each for similar patient incentives. This year’s proposal would increase the value to $30 per card and the maximum purchase amount from $50,000 to $60,000.
The new purchase is listed as a consent item on the board’s Nov. 3 agenda. The county’s online record did not show a final action at the time of this report.
