For those who spend their lives helping others

We need you to act now – Support a nationwide 2-1-1 system

By Matt Kinshella

From coast to coast we all take it for granted that we can dial 9-1-1 and get access to emergency services. 2-1-1 providers, United Ways and the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) are working hard to ensure the next generation can take 2-1-1 for granted also.

After years of trying, the Calling for 2-1-1 Act has significant traction in Congress. The legislation (HR 211/S. 211) would provide funding for a nationwide 2-1-1 system for 7 years (see more details below). It already has more than 240 co-sponsors in the House and more than 60 co-sponsors in the Senate. If you are a resident of Washington or Oregon you have a unique opportunity to move the bill out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Please email Senator Jeff Merkley or Senator Patty Murray (both members of the HELP Committee) and ask them to encourage Chair Harkin to bring the Act to a vote.

Email Senator Merkley: http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/
Email Senator Murray: http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe

If you are looking for some language to get your email started, you can copy and paste the message below:

Dear Senator ____,

Thank you for joining the more than 60 Senate and 240 House co-sponsors of the Calling for 2-1-1 Act (HR 211/SB 211). Your support is crucial for providing increased access to health and community services to everyone in our state and country.

Please ask Senate HELP Committee Chair Harkin to bring the Calling for 2-1-1 Act to a vote during this time of great economic need.

The Calling for 2-1-1 Act will provide up to $5.5 million for Oregon and $700 million nationwide to:

  • Improve lives. 2-1-1 helps cut through the clutter of the social services system and makes it easy for families and seniors to get the help they need.
  • Fortify emergency services. 2-1-1 serves a as source of up-to-date, authoritative information during daily crisis and needed disaster response. 2-1-1 eases the burden on 9-1-1, allowing emergency dispatchers to focus on life-threatening situations.
  • Provide timely community response. 2-1-1 provides support in unforeseen and widespread community situations. Locally, 211info (WIN 211 for Washington State) partnered with state government to respond to the H1N1 epidemic.

Thank you once again for your support and hard work on behalf of our state.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME


Thank you so much for your efforts and if your family or colleagues would be interested in supporting the 2-1-1 movement please forward this blog post to them.

And special thanks to the United Way World Wide for spearheading this effort and thanks to our local strategic partner the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette without whom we would not be able to do our work.

Download and read the Calling for 2-1-1 Act “one pager”

Calling for 211 Act

Watch a video about calling 2-1-1:

07.06.2010 About 211info No Comments

Are you getting asked about social service eligibilty requirements?

By Matt Kinshella

If you are like 211info, callers are constantly asking which social services they qualify for. It is a time consuming process for any social services professional and it can be a hassle or embarrassment for those asking. That’s why Oregon Helps (www.OregonHelps.org) — a website designed to provide Oregonians with quick information about social service eligibility — is so valuable.

Oregon Helps is a free and easy to use web-based self screening tool that asks visitors a few questions about income and expenses. The site then estimates potential eligibility for 33 federal, state and local services—such as food stamps (now known as SNAP), Oregon Health Plan, Medicare and emergency food assistance.  It even includes services specific to each of the 36 counties in Oregon.  It then provides the visitor with information about how to apply for each of those services. Any information provided is completely confidential and anonymous – the program never even asks for the visitor’s name!  Users can take the program in four languages: English, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese.

Check out the videos (English and Spanish):

Oregon Helps is a great service that every social service professional should utilize and promote. Please send one of the above videos to friends and colleagues, share this blog post or download promotional materials to post in your office.

Can you remember a time when Oregon Helps would have come in handy?

02.06.2010 Community Service Tips, community resources 1 Comment

An homage to the vendors at Street Roots

On May 19th, our good friends over at Street Roots posted a “What Matters to Our Vendors” word cloud. Their results were amazing and I hope you check the post out. And make sure you check out the original post as well. Great concept, great photos but most importantly they are giving a voice to a population that all too often isn’t heard.

As an homage to Street Roots, I asked 211info staff to create a word cloud of their own. They are all amazing social service professionals who spend their days helping others. They have a unique vantage point – answering calls from across multiple states and from our communities’ most needy individuals.

I asked: What are Oregon and Southwest Washington’s greatest needs?

And just for fun – I entered this blog’s URL into Wordle as well.

What would your organization’s Wordle look like?

I’m off for a week, so I hope you have a good Memorial Day!

-Matt

21.05.2010 Uncategorized No Comments

Responding to Crisis: Multnomah County’s Mental Health Call Center

By Liesl Wendt, CEO, 211info

Recently on KGW, Portland Mayor Sam Adams addressed the need for an “information and referral hub for police and those families trying to find help for someone suffering from mental illness” in the wake of highly-publicized police shootings.

His solution is absolutely the right one. And Portlanders need to know an information and referral hub already exists.

The Multnomah County Mental Health and Addictions Services Call Center is the community’s hub for families in crisis and it can be reached at 503-988-4888 or 1-800-716-9769.  The Call Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with mental health professionals who can help anyone get connected with available resources.

211info is a nonprofit that answers several helplines in Oregon and Southwest Washington. And if a call comes in from someone we suspect is dealing with mental illness we trust the professionals at the Mental Health and Addictions Services Call Center. Their operators are trained to quickly understand whether the crisis is so serious that the police must respond. If not, the operators can instead dispatch mental health workers to the scene.

The shootings are terrible tragedies – and everyone can agree history must not repeat itself. That is why 211info partners with Multnomah County and city resources to respond as a community to crisis situations.

Mayor Adams said it best: we can’t have “this sort of human devastation in our streets. It’s intolerable.”

We’re glad that the Mayor and Chair are working together to ensure the existing community resources are strengthened. All community leaders need to support these services and make sure those who need them know where to turn.

18.05.2010 community resources No Comments

Compassion Fatigue is more than being tired: 10 strategies for self-care

By Lily Gael, Call Center Specialist

You just spent ten exhausting minutes helping a client find shelter for the night. It’s your thirtieth call of the day. It’s Thursday. And despite your passion for helping people you are dead tired.

This is Compassion Fatigue and I’m going to give you 10 suggestions for battling it.

According to most psychologists, Compassion Fatigue is an occupational hazard for service providers whose daily work is helping those in our society with the greatest unmet needs.  Social worker, Karl LaRowe, LCSW, refers to Compassion Fatigue as a debilitating weariness. Being aware when we are feeling weary, especially tired, stressed, or overwhelmed with our daily work is the first step to taking care of ourselves, and keeping Compassion Fatigue in check.

With awareness, we can put a plan of action in place to increase our level of self-care and insure that we stay healthy.  If you watch the video below you’ll see how some of my colleagues practice self-care with a Tuesday ritual they call “cheese day.”

Maybe “cheese day” isn’t your style, but there are plenty of other options.

10 strategies for self-care.  Use this list to mix and match. Find a plan that works for you.

  1. Get plenty of rest and plenty of sleep.
  2. Keep negative energy flowing out of your body—stretch, sit upright and while with clients keep both feet on the ground in an open position. Shake out your hands, feet, whole body between clients or phone calls.
  3. Exercise. Walk, run, take a class. Sing, dance, jump rope, play games. Practice Deep Breathing and other grounding, meditative exercises .
  4. Drink lots of water. Eat low sugar, whole foods. Even one piece of fresh fruit a day, eaten in a quiet place, can be a sensory treat, reestablishing your connection to your self and your body.
  5. Leave work at work—Strategies: visualization of leaving it at the door, ritual like changing clothes when you get home.
  6. Debrief—with supervisors, co-workers, or professional supervision, other professionals (including counselors and medical professionals).
  7. Take extra breaks from work throughout the day.
  8. Spend time out of doors, everyday if you can. Walk in the sun and the rain.
  9. Spend time with others whose company you enjoy. You choose. Try not talking about work, or only asking for support for yourself instead of discussing the workings of your job.
  10. Practice the art of self-management.  Knowing when to say ‘no’ or ‘let me think about that and get back to you’ is self-empowering.  Speak your needs out  loud whenever possible.

And remember, we get compassion fatigue because We Care.  We care about our work and the people we serve.  With our self-care plan in place, we can also become proactive about caring about ourselves, too.

Do you live in the Portland metro area? Attend 211info’s latest Professional Development Training: Combating Compassion Fatigue. It is happening on May 21st. $45 for individuals, $30 per person for groups of three or more.

Do you have any special tricks for combating Compassion Fatigue?

Lily Gael is an AIRS-certified I & R Specialist. She has worked in direct services at 211info for 5 ½ years. Lily is a “retired” psychotherapist (LPC, MA, Clinical Psychology), and currently, an active performing artist, dancer and natural scientist.

13.05.2010 Community Service Tips 3 Comments

Dispelling 10 Myths About Food Stamps (SNAP) [Community Service Tips]

Getting the right information about food stamps (SNAP) to the people who need them can improve lives.

Food Stamps or SNAP provide much needed relief to people trying to keep food on the table, a roof over their heads or the electricity on. Yet, too many are unsure if they qualify. Or worse, they assume they don’t qualify — a growing problem in a struggling economy.

Here are the top ten misconceptions about SNAP heard by 211info call center specialists:

  1. I can’t get food stamps because I own my house.
  2. I can’t get food stamps because I still have money in my 401(k) account.
  3. I can’t get food stamps because I’m on Social Security.
  4. I can’t get food stamps because it would hurt my credit rating.
  5. I can’t get food stamps because it would come out of my Social Security when I’m older.
  6. I can’t get food stamps because I quit my job.
  7. I can’t get food stamps because I’m unemployed.
  8. I can’t get food stamps because I work part-time.
  9. I can’t get food stamps because I participate in a gleaning program.
  10. I can’t get food stamps because I don’t want my boss to know I’m having money problems.

None of that is true.

Imagine, a simple misconception could be stopping a family from eating tonight. If you know someone who might be eligible for food stamps give them the facts.

Workers at Department of Human Services (DHS) offices in Oregon and Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) offices in Washington look at factors that include your monthly income, housing costs, number of people in a household, immigration status and utility costs when deciding whether you are eligible for food benefits.

In Oregon, you can go to www.snap.oregon.gov to download a SNAP application and to use a benefits calculator that will help you know if you are eligible and how much you are likely to receive each month. In Washington, you can go to www.to foodhelp.wa.gov/.

211info Statistics

So far this year (January, 01 – May 10, 2010) 211info has received:

4,452 phone calls for SNAP

34% of known callers have been male

66% of known callers have been female

35% of callers have been between the ages of 20-29

24% of callers have been between the ages of 30-39

Multnomah County residents make up the highest volume of callers with 1,733

Washington County is second with 913 callers.

What are some of the myths about social services you have heard?

11.05.2010 Community Service Tips, community resources No Comments

Do you know a child in need of health care? [Partner Update]

What is Healthy Kids? Healthy Kids is Oregon’s recently expanded health coverage for uninsured Oregon children. Healthy Kids is free or low-cost health care coverage for Oregon children who don’t have health insurance. Even kids with current health conditions can enroll. Coverage lasts for at least one full year and can be longer as long as the child is still eligible. Healthy Kids is based on a family’s income and there are three health coverage options: no-cost, low-cost and affordable.

Who qualifies? Child must be under the age of 19 (19th birthday) and must live in Oregon and be a legal resident. Your child must have been without health insurance for two months (though there are exceptions to this rule for special circumstances, like a parent’s job loss or a child’s serious medical need).

Free Application Assistance for Healthy Kids. Fill out an application—it is now easier and we are here to help!

Location: NAYA Family Center, 5135 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97218

For questions or to schedule an appointment call: Healthy Kids Hotline

(503) 972-2466

For more information visit the Healthy Kids website: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/healthykids/index.shtml

10.05.2010 Partner Update, community resources 1 Comment

Life-saving facts: When power is shut off and health is in danger

By Mary Hinds, 211info Call Center Specialist

Mary Hinds, Call Center Specialist

Mary Hinds, 211info Call Center Specialist

Last month, 211info received nearly 1,000 phone calls from people seeking help in order to pay utility bills. Thousands more are responsible for low-income residents who battle health issues. Many people rely on electricity to keep medical equipment functioning and assume that their electricity can’t be shut off or their Emergency Medical Certificate (EMC) is always a safety net. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.

I’ll give you the facts about dealing with the difficult reality of an unpaid electricity bill that could result in medical disaster.

Recently, I spoke with a man in his late 50’s who called to say that when he returned from his medical treatment, his power was shut off. He had necessary medical equipment that uses electricity, and was alarmed that he would be without it.

He thought his Emergency Medical Certificate (EMC) would  keep the utility from shutting off his power.

Since his power was off and he was in danger and medically fragile, I asked if he called a Community Action Program for help. Yes, he said, he called right away and left a message on the voicemail, but was concerned they couldn’t call back on the same day.

He didn’t know what else he could do, with no family or friends in position to help him. I didn’t want to leave him with the voicemail option so I called Community Action’s main office and asked for the energy program supervisor. At a busy agency, finding the right person often takes time and know-how. I was talking to the administrative assistant when our one of our long-time partners at Community Action, walked in and took my information.

I conferenced the man into the call so he could give his account number and name. During the call my heart raced, I got more determined to find help, and I was fearful that I would have to tell this caller there was nothing to be done but wait for someone to return his voicemail. The facts are:

  • the man was really sick and in danger without power
  • sometimes emergency assistance funds run out for months
  • sometimes a person can only get help one time a year
  • this disabled man was not cognitively able to pursue the next contact after getting a voicemail or go navigate options.

Our partner at Community Action went to work to get an answer. She went into the department of Energy Assistance and was able to get the quick response needed.  She later sent me an email that electrical service was restored to the ailing man.

A medical emergency was averted. I felt a sudden relief that I was able to work through the system, and advocated for a resolution. Although it was a draining experience, it was a pleasure to help this man in a way few can.

Facts Everyone Should Know

Many people are aware of the EMC which allows for extra flexibility in payments over time to avoid utility shut offs. Like the caller, some of the certificate holders believe the EMC prevents shut offs, but they are mistaken.

  • Any utility can be shut off if the bill isn’t paid, regardless of the ratepayer’s medical needs.
  • The certificates are not good forever.

EMC’s always expire in 6 or 12 months. Doctors or Clinicians must resubmit the need for the EMC to the utility in 6 months if the need is temporary or within a year if the need is chronic. The request can be done orally first but must be confirmed in writing.  Medical Professionals can get the EMC forms from the utility companies when they call to confirm the need and fax them in later.

Utility companies send an expiration notice 15 days before the end date. If the certificate holder is unable to understand a notice or a number of caretakers overlook the notice, the result is that the EMC expires. Caretakers and relatives can be prepared by marking the date on a calendar ahead of the end date.

If you have questions about this program, call  your utility company. Information can be found Oregon Public Utility Commission, Consumer Section at 1-800-522-2404, or on the web at http://www.oregon.gov/PUC/consumer/emcinfo.shtml

Do you know of anyone that could benefit from this knowledge?


Mary has been a 211info Call Center Specialist for five years. Previously, she spent sixteen years in customer support managment at large computer manufacturers (Digital Equipment and INTEL). She also spent two years volunteer co-ordinator at Salvation Army West Women’s and Children’s Shelter, helped set up Rape Relief Hotline, did volunteer training and scheduled the 24X7 crisis hotline.

05.05.2010 Health Informations, community resources 3 Comments

Drawing to Add 35,000 Adults to Oregon Health Plan

The Oregon Department of Human Services just released information about a drawing that will give 35,000 Oregon adults health care coverage.

Here are the details from their release:

Demand for the Oregon Health Plan is so high that the state is maintaining a reservation list of people who want to apply for OHP, and then drawing from that list to find people who qualify based on income. In the next month there will be drawings on May 3 and May 21. People are encouraged to sign up for the list before the drawings.

The state has funding to add some 35,000 adult Oregonians to the Oregon Health Plan Standard thanks to legislation passed in 2009. The state estimates that some 140,000 qualify based on income.

In order to ensure that all qualified Oregonians receive an equal opportunity for care, the Oregon Health Authority maintains an open reservation list and holds regular drawings. People whose names are drawn will receive an application packet that asks them questions about income and residency that determine if they are qualified for OHP.

To be added to the reservation list, low-income Oregonians should call 1-800-699-9075 or 711 TTY, or visit the website at www.ohplist.oregon.gov. Reservation request forms are also available at local Department of Human Services’ offices, local county health departments, and most hospitals and health care clinics.

While there is a reservation list for adults and income limits for the Oregon Health Plan, health officials point out that with the Oregon Healthy Kids program, all Oregon children — regardless of their parents’ income or status on the OHP list — are eligible for health care.

“Even if parents are still on the waiting list for their health care, they can add their children today,” says Mohr Peterson. “We hope that people will sign their kids up right away.”

To sign up for the Healthy Kids Plan, call 1-877-314-5678 or visit the Healthy Kids website at www.oregonhealthykids.gov.

If you work in an organization where this information might be helpful please post or send it around.

29.04.2010 community resources No Comments

Life without 911: Lessons for 211 and Disaster Preparedness

In a post this morning the Oregon Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness blog asked the intriguing question: “Do you remember a time when there was no 911 system?” And yesterday they asked: Did you know you can dial 211 for help? (thanks for spreading the word OEM!).

Two questions, in two days, that are  relevant to 211info’s work and our community’s safety.

What about disaster preparedness?
A while ago I posted about using 211 in an emergency, but OEM’s point is: what do you do if the phones or numbers don’t work? 911 and 211 can’t be accessed via text message (currently).

800-megahertz radios and satellite phones might be an option. But how many of us have those?

Here is OEM’s response:

When the 911 system is interrupted, it is often during the worst possible time so we are reminding everyone to have the phone numbers to the police, fire, Veterinarian, and ambulance posted by your phones or in a location known by each member of the family.

Phone service may also be interrupted. It is important to check your home and cell phones by calling neighbors and establishing your own communication system in the event of an emergency. Neighbors should maintain contact with each other for mutual support. Being ready for the unexpected is what emergency preparedness is all about.

Learning from 911
The other question that popped to my mind is one I hear from time to time around the office or in 211 meetings. How did 911 become so integrated in our society that we all take it for granted? And how do we move 211 to that place?

I think the short answer is: it wasn’t easy for 911 and it won’t be easy for us. It will take a lot of people in the community, in our state and in our nation as a whole standing up and saying: hey, we need this service. People’s lives will be better for it.

I have written these little equations down in the past:

211 + community services + public knowledge = improved lives

911 + emergency services + public knowledge = improved lives

Are they simplistic? Yes. Do they drive home a point? Hopefully.

So I guess I’ll pose two questions for you to ponder:

1) What would YOU do in an emergency, when some of the things we all take for granted stop working?

2) How do we bring the 211 movement to the tipping point that 9-1-1 reached some time ago?

29.04.2010 community resources 1 Comment

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