North Oaks Foundation Announces Cash Incentive to Get COVID-19 Vaccine

The North Oaks Foundation, in partnership with the Enmon family of Ponchatoula and Jani-King Gulf Coast, is offering a $100 cash incentive to the first 100 people to register and receive the Pfizer BioNTech two-dose COVID-19 vaccine through its “COVID 100” initiative. Participants must self-schedule online here or call (985) 230-SHOT [7468] to receive the first dose of the vaccine Saturday, July 31, and the second dose on Saturday, Aug. 21, at North Oaks Immunization Clinic.

The $100 cash incentive is the brainchild of Ponchatoula businessman Tom Enmon and is being made possible through his $5,000 gift and a $5,000 matching gift from Jani-King Gulf Coast, according to North Oaks Foundation Director Staci Arceneaux.

“Our goal is to make a difference and save lives, and if this incentive gives unvaccinated people ‘on the fence’ the extra support they need to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, then it’s worth it,” Enmon explains.

“COVID 100” is an effort that Enmon hopes will catch on and help turn the tide of Louisiana and the Northshore’s low vaccination rate in the face of rising COVID-19 hospitalizations of unvaccinated individuals. According to CDC and Louisiana Department of Health data, the state vaccination rate is the fifth lowest in the U.S. at 36.1%, with only about one-third of the Northshore region fully vaccinated and Tangipahoa Parish lagging behind as the least-vaccinated parish at 29.55%.

“If we are successful, we hope that our example will challenge others with the resources to step up and keep the incentives going,” Enmon asserts while voicing his concern that roughly 60% of Louisiana’s citizens and 70% of Tangipahoa Parish residents are unvaccinated and vulnerable as the state has experienced a 177% increase over the past 2 weeks in average daily number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

“The care and concern that the Enmon family and Jani-King Gulf Coast have for the health of others is commendable and a worthy example to us all,” notes Alton Lewis, president of the North Oaks Foundation. “We are proud to have such like-minded partners to join with our foundation in supporting North Oaks Health System’s efforts to improve lives, and in this case, save them.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99.2% of all COVID-19 deaths are in unvaccinated people, meaning the available vaccines are very effective against the current COVID-19 variants, including Delta, which is the dominant strain in Louisiana.

North Oaks Chief Medical Officer Robert Peltier, MD, confirms that COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled at North Oaks Medical Center in recent weeks, and since January 2021, most every COVID-19 patient admitted has been unvaccinated. “Most vaccinated people – even if they get COVID-19 – will not need to be hospitalized. Vaccination is your best defense against experiencing severe disease,” Peltier affirms.

The COVID 100 mass vaccination event will take place at North Oaks Immunization Clinic, located at 15790 Paul Vega, MD, Drive in Hammond. Appointments are required. First-dose appointments must be scheduled for Saturday, July 31, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Registered participants will receive $50 cash immediately after receiving the first-dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Registered participants must return by appointment on Saturday, Aug. 21, to receive the remaining $50 cash of their incentive immediately after receiving their second dose of the vaccine.

The Immunization Clinic is located on the North Oaks Medical Center campus in Hammond. Enter the campus via Medical Arts Plaza Drive from Highway 51 Business/Veterans Boulevard.