The real 411 on the 2-1-1

Thank you for your article that focused on the new 2-1-1 phones that have recently been installed in three Ventura County Superior Court courthouses. This program is a critical extension of a 2-1-1 program that for nearly two years has been instrumental in providing important health and human service information to thousands of county residents 24 hours per day, seven days of the week.

However, I would like to bring to your attention one important inaccuracy in your article. In the article, it is stated that the 211 program began in Los Angeles County.

Rather, I would like to report that 211 in the state of California began in Ventura County, not Los Angeles County. As was noted in your article, 2-1-1 was made possible in our county through a partnership of United Way of Ventura County and Interface Children Family Services, with additional important support from First 5 Ventura County.

That partnership was consummated on Feb. 11, 2005, when 21-1 was officially launched in our county, making Ventura County the first county in the state to offer 211 service to local residents, with Los Angeles County to follow Ventura County's lead five months later.

Since Ventura County's 211 launch, seven additional counties in Southern California, plus San Francisco County to the north, have activated 211 programs.

As a result, today nearly 65 percent of the state's population has access to 2-1-1 service. And, with more 2-1-1 programs due to be activated in early 2007, our state is rapidly moving toward 100 percent accessibility by the end of 2008.

Those numbers are important when put into context nationally, too. Today, 35 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico provide different levels of 2-1-1 service, with more than 155 million Americans having access to 2-1-1 service.

It is the goal of United Way of America to have 2-1-1 programs in place to benefit all Americans by the end of 2010.

Imagine having to deal with a serious youth substance abuse problem, or not having enough money to pay the rent, or being in dire need for food on the table for you and your family:

The 2-1-1 program is the single most important health and human service program to be introduced in Ventura County in decades because those issues and more are answered by 2-1-1.

United Way of Ventura County, as the main fiscal and marketing supporter of 2-1-1, is proud to have had a key role in the launching of our state's first 2-1-1 program. David M. Smith Camarillo President and CEO United Way of Ventura County