Horizon Health Makes Finding Help as Easy as ‘211’

From food and housing to transportation and beyond, Horizon Health makes finding help as easy as "211."

By dialing or texting 211, Edgar and Clark County residents have immediate access to a variety of health and human services close to home. The free information/referral hotline is staffed 24/7/365 through an agreement between Horizon Health and Personal Assistance Telephone Help (PATH). The 211 line is available nationwide to counties that participate in the service, with Bloomington-based PATH being one non-profit agency that operates the hotline in Illinois.

“There are many local services that people don't know about,” said Erin Frank, Horizon Health director of marketing and communications. “211 brings all those resources together. The phone number is easy to remember, confidential, anonymous, and provides access to vital services that help improve and save lives.”

The 211 service aligns with Horizon Health’s ongoing Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), Erin explained. A CHNA is performed every three years and outlines actions to improve health and wellness throughout Horizon Health’s service territory.

“211 promotes community wellness through the coordination of numerous community entities, which is an identified need in the CHNA,” Erin said. “Usage data from 211 will help us assess unmet needs in our communities.”

When someone calls 211, live operators help callers in three important ways:

• They refer or connect callers to the correct agency based on services needed, which can include rent, utility, and food assistance, healthcare, counseling, support groups, senior services, legal help, and more.
• They help callers brainstorm possible solutions to problems they are facing and identify underlying causes of their need.
• They provide emotional support, even if the callers aren’t looking for resource referrals.

Calls to 211 on a landline phone are routed to the 211 call center. Anyone having trouble accessing 211 with a cell phone can call 888-865-9903. When texting, text your zip code to 898211. Prompts will assist you through the process. PATH also has an online database of local services, searchable by zip code or city, at navigateresources.net/path.

“While there are several ways to access 211, calling is the best option to pinpoint the exact service or services you need,” said Kyra Graham, Horizon Health public relations/marketing associate.

In addition to 211, other local helplines are available:

• Call 988 for suicide intervention and crisis help, including substance abuse and emotional distress.
• Call 217-712-9766 (24/7 Crisis Line) staffed by the Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark Counties (HRC).
• As always, call 911 for a medical emergency or go to your nearest emergency room.