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ANGELENOS IN ACTION

Means Saving Lives

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ABOUT ANGELENOS IN ACTION:
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The project was launched in summer of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 5,000 Los Angeles County residents regularly participate in Angelenos in Action.

HOW ANGELENOS IN ACTION HELPS PROTECT LOS ANGELES:

COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory virus infections have a major impact on the health and wellbeing of people in our community each season. Traditional methods of disease tracking require a person to see their doctor and get tested. However, not everyone who gets sick with a respiratory virus infection will see a doctor, and people who have COVID-19 can test themselves at home.

Angelenos In Action helps fill in these gaps in disease surveillance by asking volunteers across Los Angeles County a few simple questions each week about their symptoms. Answers are used to monitor trends in respiratory illness in Los Angeles County in real time. This allows public health to quickly identify and respond to increases in illness, preventing major disease outbreaks and saving lives.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
  1. Text "@PROTECT" to (833) 228-3056 to volunteer for our survey or click here to sign up online.
  2. Answer 5 quick questions to sign up.
  3. You will be randomized to receive surveys one day a week. 
  4. Every week on that day, the LA County Department of Public Health will text or email you one YES/NO question to ask how you’re feeling.
  5. If you feel unwell, you will be asked two more YES/NO questions about symptoms of respiratory illness.

NOTE: Your data will be kept completely private. Protecting privacy is important, and we will not share the individual data of any participants. The data will only be used for department purposes and will be protected as required by law. Summary information on the data collected will not include any individual identifiers.

Thank you for participating! Your responses are important, even when you're feeling healthy!

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FAQs:

Adults (18 years and older) living in Los Angeles County, who have access to a cell phone or email can volunteer for our survey.
First, text "@PROTECT" to (833) 228-3056 or CLICK HERE to sign up. After you answer the enrollment questions, we will text or email you once a week to see how you’re feeling. If you feel unwell, we will ask you two more YES/NO questions.
Currently the survey is available in English and Spanish.
Yes, as long as they live in Los Angeles, are over the age of 18, and have a cell phone that can send and receive messages or an email address. The more people who sign up for Angelenos in Action, the more accurate the data will be. Tell them to text "@PROTECT" to (833) 228-3056 or use one of the links above to post it to your social media!
The initial questions will ask for your age-group, sex, race/ethnicity, and zip code. We will not ask for your name or any other identifying information. You may skip any questions you do not feel comfortable answering. The weekly surveys will ask how you are feeling that day. If you are unwell, you will be asked if you have experienced specific symptoms that could be due to COVID-19, influenza, or other respiratory viruses.
After answering the enrollment questions, you will be randomized to one day/week. Once a week on that day, we will text or email you to see how you are feeling. If you feel unwell, you will receive two more questions.
We’ll send our survey every week for as long as funding allows. The longer this project goes on the better the data collected by this project will allow us to look at trends and identify outbreaks of respiratory viruses over time.

Yes, if at any time, you no longer wish to participate, just text “STOP” to (833) 228-3056 or click the link to opt out in the email.

If you made a mistake or want to rejoin, you will need to sign up again by texting "@PROTECT" to (833) 228-3056 or clicking here.
We will use the weekly surveys from participants all over Los Angeles to understand the health of our communities in real time and organize appropriate public health responses to emerging trends.
We will never report anyone’s individual data. We will not sell your phone number. The information we collect will only be used for public health purposes and will be protected to the extent possible by law. The survey reports that are released to the public will combine data from thousands of people. Phone number records will be removed prior to analysis and destroyed from our database when the survey ends.

Remember, if you do become sick, call your doctor or care provider! Texting us will not connect you to medical treatment or testing. For emergencies, call 911. If you do not have a doctor, call the Los Angeles County Information line 2-1-1, which is available 24/7.

For more information about what to do if you are sick, please view the following resources:

COVID-19 Resources

Influenza (Flu) Resources

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Resources

Yes! Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses, however you can still get sick even if you’re vaccinated. In order to collect a representative sample of Los Angeles County residents, we encourage all eligible community members to sign up, regardless of vaccination status.
You will receive normal text messages. Check your cell phone plan, as standard messaging rates may apply. You will not be paid or reimbursed for participating.
Protecting your privacy is important, and we will not share the individual data of participants. Weekly response rates are presented in RespWatch. You can find other publicly released COVID-19 data from LA County by clicking here.

Data and Reports

In November of 2023, we administered a survey to collect feedback on Angelenos in Action. You can view the results of the survey here.

Other questions? Please email us at AngelenosInAction@ph.lacounty.gov


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This project was made possible with the generous funding from the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission.

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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.

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