Press Room: Daily Bulletin News Article
Dial 211 for SBC social-service programs
By Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
(September 23, 2006) - Starting this week, hundreds of local
health and social-services programs can be easily accessed by
San Bernardino County residents by simply picking up the phone.
A toll-free 211 call system was launched Wednesday to help
residents navigate an often confusing maze of programs and
services, including drug treatment, domestic-violence counseling
and health care.
The new system is expected to drastically reduce the overload on
the 911 network and provide an invaluable resource during
natural disasters, officials said.
"San Bernardino County has never had a comprehensive database of
all the county, city and nonprofit organizations in the county,"
said Gary Madden, 211 director for Inland Empire United Way,
which provides the service from its call center in Rancho
Cucamonga.
There are now about 600 agencies in the network's database
offering about 1,100 programs, Madden said. The database is
about 60 to 70 percent complete and is growing daily, he said.
The free and confidential service is available to residential
and most cell-phone users, Madden said.
Businesses must have their phones programmed to access the 211
system, he said.
By dialing 211, the caller is connected to an English-and
Spanish-speaking operator who will assess the situation and
provide information and referrals. The service is available 24
hours a day, seven days a week. Translations can be provided in
more than 150 languages.
"The 211 system should have a major impact in the ease in which
the residents of the county can access services," 2nd District
County Supervisor Paul Biane said in a prepared statement.
The budget for the service this year is $800,000, with funding
coming from San Bernardino County, First 5 San Bernardino,
United Way and Bank of America.
United Way is applying for grants to expand the database and
provide services to city and county offices, Madden said.
The 211 service has been implemented in 40 states and serves 185
million Americans, Madden said.
San Bernardino County is the eighth county in California to have
211 coverage. Riverside County's service was activated in July
2005.
Kent Paxton, Children's Network officer for San Bernardino
County, said the 211 service is an excellent concept.
"Unfortunately, our health and social-service system is all over
the map," Paxton said. "Typically, it's not unusual for someone
to have to make three or four different calls to get where they
need to be. 211 cuts through that lengthy process."
For more information on the service, call United Way at (909)
980-2857 or visit www.211sb.com.
Contact Stephen Wall at (909) 386-3916 or by e-mail at
stephen.wall@sbsun.com.