The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a California Public Utilities Commission application to become a 211 designated county, which could help residents and travelers find assistance.
The request for application approval came from the county’s Health and Human Services Department and the county’s Office of Emergency Services.
The 211 phone system is a free information and referral service that connects people to health and human services in their communities 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is available throughout California and the country.
According to county staff, 211 provides individuals and families in need with a shortcut through what can be a bewildering maze of health and human service and community support service agency phone numbers. By simply dialing 211, those in need of assistance can be referred, and sometimes connected, to appropriate agencies and community organizations.
Mikaela Torres, the county’s Emergency Services manager, told supervisors that the county currently has 211 service through an agreement with Interface Children and Family Services, or ICFS, out of Ventura County, which also serves Mono and Alpine counties.
For more on this story, see the Jan. 19 edition of The Inyo Register.