The Cura Foundation Taps Celebrities and Athletes to Launch "Unite to Prevent" PSA Campaign

NEW YORK, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Got COVID-fatigue? Tired of wearing masks, washing your hands, using antiseptic wipes and gels, keeping your distance from people? Anxious to start doing some of the things you stopped doing because of the pandemic? Well, don't let your guard down just yet.

Celebrities, sports figures and influencers join The Cura Foundation's "Unite to Prevent" global awareness public service campaign to encourage everyone to stay the course and follow guidelines to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19 until the pandemic has ended. "This is not a sprint. It's a marathon," one group in a PSA reminds viewers.

The Cura Foundation's multi-media, "Unite to Prevent" campaign will help reinforce the critical need to follow basic public health and prevention measures, including wearing masks when recommended, getting vaccinated, washing hands properly and socially distancing. The campaign is launching at a critical stage in the pandemic as new variants emerge, multiple vaccines become available and safety guidelines evolve.

The spots will be distributed to 1,900 television stations and 9,100 radio stations nationally, including major networks and local affiliates across all 210 Nielsen-ranked DMAs, as well as through web and social media platforms. 

"COVID-19 knows no boundaries," said Robin Smith, MD, MBA, founder and president of the Cura Foundation. "Rates of infections remain high in many places, and hot spots for infections keep popping up in developed and developing nations. The pandemic won't end for anyone until it ends for all. We all have to stay vigilant to protect ourselves and others."

Celebrity Steve Harvey is featured in one of the PSAs, encouraging people to use the lessons the pandemic has taught us all. Harvey said, "This pandemic just isn't over yet. Look we've got the vaccines, I got mine, you might have yours too and it's kind of tempting to stop taking precautions. Please, don't let your guard down now, we are in this together and we need to continue to follow the current safety guidelines."

Seven PSAs have been created for this campaign:

• Singer/songwriter Josh Groban reminds us how much we miss the soundtrack of our lives and "yearn to connect again... raising our voices in song and celebration with compassion and strength." And to please get vaccinated and keep following the necessary guidelines until we are safe.

• Entertainer, businessman and philanthropist Steve Harvey warns viewers that "we're not quite there yet." Harvey continues, "Don't think just because you got the vaccine that you can just go crazy."

• Talk show host Amanda Kloots gives an emotional tribute to her husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, who died after fighting the virus for months. "We have to keep wearing masks and social distancing," she says. "Please make kindness contagious."

• National Football League Hall of Famer Jerry Rice reminds people "that no one person ever wins the game alone and if we work together until everyone is safe, we can bring back our small businesses, send our kids back to school safely and see everyone in the stadiums again." Rice continues, "No training or practice prepared us for the devastation of COVID-19," he says. "It takes teamwork to beat a tough opponent."

• Actors Colton Dunn, Joshua Malina, and Raven-Symoné remind us that COVID-19 has changed our world, how it has exposed our weaknesses and how only together can we find our common ground. "This shared experience has brought us together," Raven says.

• Former cast members from the TV series "The Office," Kate Flannery, Oscar Nuñez, and Leslie David Baker, share the screen and talk about shedding our sweatpants and getting back to the workplace, "but in a new normal, with new workplace rules" reminds Flannery. Nuñez reminds us to, "continue getting vaccinated and adhering to safety practices."

• Celebrities Margaret Cho, Loni Love, Ross Mathews, Bill Engvall, Gabrielle Carteris, Dan Bucatinsky, and Bernie Williams ask viewers what they want for their families and the world as we collectively start to move beyond COVID-19. They emphasize that we must all work together to keep moving forward and not let our guard down. "This is not a sprint. It's a marathon," they say.

The #UniteToPrevent campaign is supported by The Cura Foundation, an organization with a mission to improve human health globally, and Sanford Health, the nation's largest rural health care system. Cura facilitates partnerships and collaboration while encouraging holistic approaches to health and advancing the development of breakthrough medical technologies and preventative measures.

The PSA campaign was produced by multi-Emmy award winning producers Roni Selig and Marcie Mulé whose newly formed RonMar Studios creates socially relevant content that speaks to current global state of affairs. 

Together we will UNITE TO PREVENT. Learn more about the campaign at UNITETOPREVENT.org.

The Cura Foundation leads a major global health movement with the passionate purpose to improve human health. Cura unites public and private sectors, partnering with doctors, patients, business leaders, philanthropists and thought leaders to collaborate and create breakthroughs around the world. The foundation drives change by raising public awareness, supporting research and educating the next generation of thought leaders and medical professionals about innovations in medicine. The Cura Foundation is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, public and tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information, please visit: https://thecurafoundation.org/.

SOURCE Cura Foundation