By Lauren Muttram, Feb. 6, 2021
Thousands of Los Angeles County residents received a shot at hope as Cal Poly Pomona opened one of the county’s largest COVID-19 vaccination distribution sites on Feb. 5.
Parking Structure 2 has been transformed into a 145,000 square-foot site with 16 check-in stations, four pods and a combined total of 48 vaccination stations. The CPP vaccination site will be open to the public seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., depending on state vaccine availability.
“Cal Poly Pomona has been an anchor institution for 80-plus years,” said University President Soraya Coley, who visited the vaccination site on opening day and walked through the operational stations. “We see ourselves not only as providing an outstanding educational experience for our students that launches them into social mobility, but we also see ourselves as a partner in the social, economic and health and wellbeing of our community.”
Opened by a consortium including Kaiser Permanente, the California Medical Association, Dignity Health, Adventist Health and Futuro Health with assistance from the California Primary Care Association, the site has the potential to vaccinate up to 10,000 people per day.
The partnership between CPP and the consortium was in development for several weeks. According to Bill Coswell, Senior Vice President, Operations at Kaiser Permanente Southern California the site successfully built with the aid of volunteers and staff working 20 hour days over last month.
The location provides access to vaccinations for residents of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, with additional access along the 57 and 10 freeways into the Inland Empire and Orange County.
“I have no doubt that our residents are going to benefit from this, not only our residents in Pomona, but throughout the region,” said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval.
On its first day of operation on Friday, the CPP vaccination site administered 500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Hilda Solis (’79, political science), chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, also visited the site.
“What’s really important here is that people have access, that they can come up, they can take a bus ride, possibly even take the metro,” said Solis.
While most LA vaccination sites offer drive-up appointments, the CPP vaccination site is accessible to individuals who do not own a vehicle — with a bus station adjacent to the facility.
Residents who drive to the site will be directed to park in designated parking areas and walk into the vaccination center. Handicap parking is available for persons who need special assistance.
“Transportation should not be the issue here and that’s what’s so beautiful about the way everyone has worked on this,” said Maria Carrasco, physician of Kaiser Permanente in Southern California.
CPP and the consortium intend to prioritize vaccinations for residents 75 years of age and above. Eligibility for the vaccination will increase as California’s vaccine supplies become readily available.
Southern California Kaiser Permanente physician Dr. Michael Eugene Morris conveyed his confidence in the vaccination and optimism for the future.
“This is indeed a ray of hope; it is a light at the end of the tunnel so that we can finally have hope that we can get back to our normal lives,” said Morris.
For more information on eligibility and requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine or to make an appointment, visit California’s MyTurn website. Individuals without Internet access can call the California COVID-19 hotline for support at 1-833-422-4255.
To access maps and directions to the CPP vaccination site, visit https://www.cpp.edu/safety/vaccine-hub/index.shtml.
Feature image: Lauren Muttram | The Poly Post