Press Room: San Bernardino Sun News Article
211 service puts social services phone call away
Editorial
(September 29, 2006) - Although the phrase
‘‘government efficiency” may seem like an oxymoron, San
Bernardino County’s new toll-free 211 call system, aimed at
providing easy access to health and social services, is poised
to streamline the often confusing search for the correct phone
number in times of need. And for the sake of county residents,
we hope it works well.
Gone are the days when tracking down the correct contact
information for programs and services meant navigating a
seemingly endless network of wrong numbers and phone menus.
The toll-free number will allow local residents to easily access
a database of more than 600 agencies and about 1,100 programs,
ranging from drug treatment facilities to domestic-violence
counseling to various health-care services.
And all it takes is one phone call.
The 211 system already has been implemented in 40 states and is
available to 185 million Americans, including those in Los
Angeles and Riverside counties, and we’re glad San Bernardino
County’s is now up and running.
The services are free and readily available to residential and
most cell-phone users 24 hours a day. The system is expected to
drastically reduce the number of errant calls to the 911
network, which is reserved for emergency phone calls only.
For anyone who has ever been put on hold, only to be switched
around numerous times and then hung up on, it should be
encouraging to note that, when government absolutely has to, it
can create something that is actually user-friendly and helpful
– without charging an arm and a leg to do so.