Jackson County’s essential workers—from health care providers and first responders to retail and service sectors, educators and nonprofit volunteers—have been celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rightly so. There’s another essential group that deserves kudos, too: the professionals staffing the 2-1-1 call center.
According to Melissa Ladd Patnode, 2-1-1 Program Supervisor at Lifeways Community Mental Health, the Jackson-based call center has responded to 6,037 calls related to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit in March. The most common requests involve electric service payment assistance, coronavirus testing, rent payment aid, information on food pantries, and ordering/delivery of groceries.
“We’ve seen more health-related calls since the start of the pandemic,” Ladd Patnode said. “More calls for testing and personal protective equipment, but also more mental health and other physical health sort of calls. Still a lot of basic needs, but they generally have something health-related with them, or questions about the impact of COVID-1 on their lives.”
Earlier in the pandemic, many calls focused on unemployment and stimulus checks as people were furloughed or laid off. “That has slowed down now,” she said. “Now its about test sites, antibody treatment, PPE, and how schools are impacted.”
A recent article by online news site Vice noted that many 2-1-1 call centers have been overwhelmed with cries for help, averaging call increases of 150% to 200%. At the national level, United Way Worldwide has been lobbying federal lawmakers for $150 million in emergency funding to the nation’s 241 call centers.
Ladd Patnode said her team is managing as well as possible, connecting people in need with resources that can help.
Ken Toll, President & CEO of United Way of Jackson County, said the expertise of 2-1-1 is vital as Jackson County continues to cope with the effects of COVID-19. United Way is a major funder of 2-1-1.
“The damage done by the pandemic may linger, but we’re confident the community will recover, rebuild and rise from this crisis,” Toll said. “2-1-1 remains a crucial element in that rebuilding process.”