Nearly 300,000 Served: Soka COVID-19 Vaccination Site Closes

Soka University of America is marking the 20th anniversary of its Aliso Viejo campus in many ways, but one is especially illustrative of how SUA fulfills its mission of serving the community.

This January, in cooperation with the County of Orange and the City of Aliso Viejo, Soka University established the second regional Super POD (Point of Dispensing) COVID-19 vaccination site. (The first POD opened the week before at Disneyland.)

Vaccinations were first given to health care workers and seniors from south Orange County; eligibility was then expanded to people as young as 12.

The county closed its Super PODs on June 5 to focus on mobile delivery of vaccines. By that time 296,594 people were vaccinated at SUA.

Soka was prepared to respond quickly to the request of the Orange County Health Department because staff has trained in POD protocols since 2007.

How well did it work? Here is an excerpt from an email a grateful participant sent to SUA: “Just had to tell you how impressed I was that Soka University hosted administering the vaccine at your campus. Even more impressed at how well it was organized and executed. The staff was extremely helpful, directions clearly marked, with plenty of friendly staff to answer and help along the way.

“I can’t remember a time that I saw so many people helping people and in such a good mood doing it.”