2-1-1- launched as number to call for health and human services information in Cuyahoga County and Northeastern Ohio

(Cleveland, Ohio) February 11, 2004
Today more than 2.5 million people in Northeastern Ohio will be able to link to 2-1-1, the new phone number for free access to health and human services information and referral in Cuyahoga County, Northeast Ohio and twenty-three percent of the nation. An easy-to-remember and universally recognizable number, 2-1-1 was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in July 2000 as the number to call for information and referral to health and human services or volunteer opportunities.

The coordinated launch of 2-1-1 links callers to public and private agencies that can help with human care needs. Participating counties are Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage, Stark and Summit. When appropriate, callers will be directed to the information and referral line or services in another county.

For police, fire or medical emergencies continue to call 911. The 2-1-1 number does not function with cell phones or businesses with blocks on N11 numbers. United Way Services of Greater Cleveland's 211/First Call For Help will respond to the calls in Cuyahoga County. 211/FCFH's certified information and referral specialists, using a database of more than 1,200 agencies, will link citizens to needed services 24 hours a day, every day. All calls are free and confidential.

"As of today, 1.4 million persons in Cuyahoga County and a total of 4.6 million Ohioans have access to area health and human services by simply dialing 2-1-1," said K. Michael Benz, president and CEO of United Way Services. "That number represents 42 percent of all Ohioans. We are proud that United Way Services' 211/First Call For Help has the well-trained staff and in-depth, effective database to accommodate the needs of the residents of Greater Cleveland. Last year First Call For Help staff took approximately 95,000 calls from the residents of Cuyahoga County. It is one more way that United Way Services improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders. The current 211/First Call For Help number, (216) 436-2000, will continue to function and also will service calls from cell phones."

"As both a County Commissioner and a United Way Board member, I could not be more pleased with the work done to make 2-1-1 possible not only to Cuyahoga County residents, but to all of Northeast Ohio. In these especially difficult economic times, the need for quick and responsive health and human services is essential to so many in our communities," said Peter Lawson Jones, president of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners. "And the regional approach that United Way has taken in offering 2-1-1 to all of Northeast Ohio not only allows access for a greater number of individuals in need, but will help local governments coordinate and deliver critical services more effectively and efficiently. The more we communicate and cooperate in a collective way with our neighbors, the greater the chances we all have for a better way of life."

"It often seems that the most difficult part of obtaining necessary services is navigating through the system," said Tim McCormack, vice president of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners. "People in need must have a simple means of finding and securing help. The launch of 2-1-1 is a step towards bringing helpful information closer to the people who most need it."

"With today's easy access to all kinds of information through technological tools like the Internet, computers, and cell phones, there is no reason health and human services should be difficult to access," said Jimmy Dimora, Cuyahoga County Commissioner. "A national number is not just helpful to the public but a necessity as a coordination tool for human services information, needs and assistance provided throughout Cuyahoga County. Our citizens deserve easy access and 2-1-1 will prove its value once the number is engrained in our culture."

The 22 Ohio counties with 2-1-1 access are Ashtabula, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Delaware, Fayette, Fulton, Geauga, Hamilton, Henry, Highland, Lake, Morrow, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Ross, Stark, Summit, and Williams. Senator Mike DeWine from Ohio is a sponsor of Senate Bill 1630 and U.S. Representative Rob Porter is co-sponsoring HR 3111, which requests federal funding for 211. Please contact your congressional representatives to indicate their support for the legislation.

Information provided through 2-1-1 includes such services as:

• Basic human needs resources (food banks, clothing, shelters, rent assistance, utility assistance);
• Physical and mental health resources(health insurance programs, Medicaid, Medicare, maternal health, children's health insurance programs, medical information lines, crisis intervention, support groups, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention and rehabilitation);
• Work support (financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance, education programs);
• Supports for older Americans and persons with disabilities (adult day care, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, transportation, homemaker services);
• Children, youth and family supports (childcare, after school programs, Head Start, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, protective services).

"We are very pleased to be able to provide service through 211 here in Cuyahoga County," said Stephen Wertheim, director of United Way Services' 211/First Call For Help. "It is fortunate that Greater Cleveland does have a large variety of programs that help people in many ways. We can now provide easy, efficient information access to vital community resources. For people who need help, we can simplify the process with a clearly identifiable number that efficiently cuts through the complex web of health and human service programs to bring results."

United Way Services' 211/FCFH receives funding from the Cuyahoga County Department of Senior and Adult Services, the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Cuyahoga County, and United Way Services.

For more information on available services in Cuyahoga County, log on to www.211cleveland.org. For information on cooperating counties, please refer to the contact number at the top of the release.

View news clip from 2/11/04 (viewable with Windows Media Player).





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