2-1-1 In the News

Dial 2-1-1 for services

December 18, 2004
by Angela Holman
Today's Local News
Reprinted With Permission

SAN DIEGO In an effort to give residents access to health, social and human services, a coalition of community leaders and officials have been working to bring 2-1-1 to the county.

The new national dialing code 2-1-1 is a free, 24-hour, seven-days-a-week phone number that provides health and social services information and referrals.

By last June, more than 32 percent of Americans had access to 2-1-1 in 26 states, according to a 2-1-1 fact sheet.

In San Diego County, 2-1-1 is expected to be available next July.

The service is being planned in conjunction with neighboring Southern California counties, said Sara Matta, executive director of INFO LINE/2-1-1 and the 2-1-1 chair of the California Alliance of Information and Referral Services (CAIRS).

The county’s 2-1-1 service will be provided by INFO LINE, which has been providing health and human services information and referrals to the county for 35 years.

Matta said more than 3,000 agencies are already in the INFO LINE database, but it will be expanded with the implementation of 2-1-1.

"Moving to a 24/7 operation is a major change for us," Matta said. "We're increasing our staff about four-fold."

"Everyone is going to use 2-1-1 at some point; one in 10 of the population will use it every year," Matta said. "It’s the place you can trust to have good, helpful information when you need help and don’t know where to turn."

The service isn’t just for people looking for help; it’s also for people who want information about volunteering or giving donations.

The County of San Diego, the United Way and SDG&E are funding one-third of the 2-1-1 budget. The First 5 Commission is providing $2 million for the project over three years.

The additional amount needed has been funded by donations and corporate sponsors, Matta said, adding that CAIRS is looking for more corporate sponsors.

A 60-member steering committee has been working on bringing 2-1-1 to the county for almost two years. A 15-member leadership committee comprised of influential people has advised the development of 2-1-1 and is now working to implement it.

"It’s truly a community initiative driven by a broad, broad coalition of community organizations and individuals," Matta said.

First District County Supervisor Greg Cox is the chair of the leadership committee. He said he became personally involved in 2-1-1 because he saw a need for the service.

Cox said disasters like the fires in October of last year cause 9-1-1 to get overloaded with calls that often aren’t emergencies, but are from people looking for services. He said 2-1-1 will help in those disaster situations.

There are many different community-based organizations and nonprofit organizations that spend money to get the word out about themselves, Cox said. He said 2-1-1 will save them money because it will be the referral system for them.

"I think 2-1-1 will be able to provide a lot more services to the citizens of San Diego County as a result of this implementation," Cox said.

Lori Pfeiler, the mayor of Escondido, is also on the leadership committee. She said she became involved in 2-1-1 because every city should take part in it.

"Needs for services happen cross-jurisdictionally," Pfeiler said. "Besides, I think it’s a great idea; it just makes a lot of sense."

Dr. Carol Young, the president-elect of the San Diego County Medical Society, said she is involved with 2-1-1 because she represents the county’s doctors who care about launching it.

She said people who are new to the area can use the service to locate the appropriate doctor. It will be very important because the health and service system is very complex, and people don’t always know where to turn, Young said.

"Where it has been launched it has had rave reviews," she said. "There’s just a whole lot of opportunity in 2-1-1 to get people connected to services of all kinds."

Reach reporter Angela Holman at 760.752.6750.