2-1-1 call center
launched for Southeast Colorado The 2-1-1 information and referral
service for Pueblo and Fremont counties was officially launched Tuesday, providing
answers about health and human services over the phone. A local steering
committee has been working toward the opening day for about 18 months. 2-1-1
for Southeast Colorado eventually hopes to serve 11 counties in this corner of
the state with 24-hour phone assistance, but for now a staff of three trained
information specialists will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Pat
Gash is the director of the small staff. Paul Brown, who headed the steering
committee, said that the group decided early on to nestle 2-1-1 in an existing
agency at first, rather than try to start out as a stand-alone agency. It was
appropriate to work under the umbrella of SRDA, Pueblo's senior services agency,
because Gash has been directing a similar service called Senior Link at SRDA for
several years. She already was a certified information and referral specialist,
and all the employees who answer 2-1-1 phones will be similarly trained and eventually
all will have to be certified, Gash said. But behind those voices on the
phone is an information database, and volunteers can help with keeping the information
up to date, she hastened to add. Steve Nawrocki, SRDA's executive director,
said the Pueblo Library District has been an integral part of developing the database. The
difference between 9-1-1 and 2-1-1 is that 9-1-1 deals with emergency services
and 2-1-1 deals with human services. So if your house is on fire or you've been
in a car wreck or you think a burglar is in the house, call 9-1-1. But if
you need help repairing a hole in the roof and you don't have the money to hire
a carpenter, you could call 2-1-1 and get a referral to the city or county housing
rehabilitation program. "We don't do emergencies, but we expect to
alleviate the burden of calls to 9-1-1, because they get a lot of calls that really
are not emergencies," Gash said. Nawrocki said if a widespread emergency
like a flu pandemic comes to pass, 2-1-1 might play a "formidable role"
in providing information to people. In such an event, Gash added, 2-1-1
would be plugged into the county's emergency operation center to help with communications.She
hopes that the service will grow to an around-the-clock operation within three
years. The first year's budget is about $180,000, including about $33,000
in startup costs, Brown said. The agency has received grants from El Pomar and
Caring for Colorado foundations as well as the Canon City Rotary club and help
from a broad range of people, notably the city and county information technology
offices in Pueblo. Brown asked supporters at the reception on Tuesday to
try to call 2-1-1 on their home phones, business phones and cell phones. Not all
cell phone companies provide 2-1-1 service, and Brown said he hopes customers
will ask their companies to join the cause. 2-1-1 for Southeast Colorado
also has a Web site, www.211help.net, where people can help themselves to a community
calendar and referrals to service agencies. WHO DO YOU CALL? People
should know the differences between 9-1-1 and 2-1-1 services. - If your
house is on fire or you've been in a car wreck or you think a burglar is in the
house, call 9-1-1, which is for emergencies. - If you need help repairing
a hole in the roof and you don't have the money to hire a carpenter, you could
call 2-1-1, which is for health and human services.
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