Los Angeles COVID-19 Cases are Still Rising: Scientologists Take Concerted Action to Help Flatten the Curve

By applying prevention measures, Angelinos can stay well and help reduce the number of new coronavirus cases overall.

More than 400 Volunteer Ministers have taken part in an initiative designed to back up the city’s reopening. They distributed 300,000 “Stay Well” booklets to local stores, restaurants, churches, clinics, hospitals and homes. 

Based on the principle that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure, they dressed in their signature yellow jackets and caps and additional protective gear and loaded up with sets of three booklets: How to Keep Yourself & Others Well, How to Protect Yourself & Others with a Mask & Gloves and How to Prevent the Spread of Illness with Isolation. 

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are making these booklets available in L.A. and in communities around the world in 21 languages. The booklets are packaged in custom-designed boxes that fold into counter displays and invite people to “please take one.” 

“There is so much misinformation on the Internet on how to stay safe and well and these booklets are making the true information very easy to understand,” said the head of a health clinic when he received his copies. “We all have to be educated to create a change.” 

“I really appreciate the support from the Church of Scientology and that you always come with a solution in the form of education,” said a pastor, who also serves on the L.A. Mayors Crisis Response Team.

A cardiologist from a nearby hospital described the booklets as “so well written,” and he thanked the volunteers for “getting them out all over the community.” 

The manager of a pharmacy told the volunteers, “I am really glad you are providing this kind of information. I will ensure that all of my customers have the opportunity to get one.” 

“These are challenging times here in L.A .and I really want to go back to normal soon,” said the owner of a cell phone store. “I think these booklets will help.”    

And the captain of a firehouse put a display of the booklets in the break room for all of the firefighters to read and use.

Los Angeles has been hit hard by the pandemic. With more than 30,000 cases, L.A. County ranks second in the country for COVID-19 infections and fifth for fatalities. And the graph has yet to flatten. “Being able to do something to help is priceless,” said one of the Volunteer Ministers. “People were very receptive and were grateful for the booklets.” 

“I love being able to connect with people and help them,” said another. “It’s a great feeling.”

Each booklet has a QR code on the back that goes to the How to Stay Well Prevention Center on the Scientology website, which makes these and other prevention materials available, free of charge. The booklets can be read on the website or downloaded. More than a dozen brief videos illustrate the key information, making it easy to understand what a virus is, how it spreads, and the actions anyone can take to protect themselves and their families.  

______________

Worldwide distribution of these booklets began in May in communities around Scientology Churches and Missions across the globe. The Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center made this possible by printing and shipping 5 million copies of Stay Well booklets.

The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It constitutes one of the largest and most visible international independent relief forces. The Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.”