Red Deer County now 211 connected

Red Deer County is now connected to the new 211 service.

The rural municipality's 19,000 citizens have immediate access to a wealth of community, health, government and social services information through the award-winning 211 telephone help line and database, along with its accompanying website at www.ab.211.ca.

The new service, initiated and sponsored by United Way Central Alberta and FCSS Red Deer and District, was launched for the municipality on July 26 with an official “first call” at the Red Deer County Centre. On the same day, the service was kicked off in the Town of Innisfail. Robert Mitchell, chief executive officer of United Way Central Alberta, was on hand for the launch of the 211 service, which will also be available for citizens in Delburne, Elnora, Bowden and Penhold.

“Our first major milestone towards achieving this goal came in February 2015 when we partnered with The City of Red Deer to bring 211 phone service to city residents,” said Mitchell, whose agency's goal has been to bring the free service to the entire region. “Now new partnerships with Family Community Support Services (FCSS) for Red Deer and District, as well as the Town of Innisfail have made it possible to expand the 211 phone service beyond the city.”

The confidential, multilingual and free 211 phone service was launched in Edmonton in 2004 and then in Calgary in 2005. It has been described as an enhancement, not a replacement, of local information and referral services currently operating across the province. The phone service provides citizens access to qualified information and referral specialists, as well as to translators in more than 200 languages. The 211 service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I think it was a great day for the county because it is a different world for the rural communities,” said Christine Moore, the county's deputy mayor and councillor for Division 6. “We all have our problems and ours by nature is scarcity of population in some areas. It links us all together.”

Moore made the county's first official 211 call on July 26, and was clearly delighted with the experience, emphasizing the system is easy to access and use, with 211 operators doing the rest.

“You don't need help. That is the whole point. You dial 211. You state what you need and they take care of it,” said Moore. “It worked really well.”

Moore said the county will be promoting the 211 service through print media and the municipality's website at www.rdcounty.ca. The Division 6 councillor added she expects United Way to also do its own promotion for the service.

“We have to get the word out there,” she said. “When something is new you really have to promote that and tell people it is out there so they can utilize and benefit from it.”