When I was in kindergarten a fireman from the local station came in for a unity on the people in your community. He turned on his siren for us, and the class was allowed to climb in the firetruck. This is when I was taught what an emergency was, and this is when I learned to dial 911.
Sometime in elementary school, either from watching television or listening to the radio, I was introduced to 411: the information center.
But why wasn't I taught 211 until adulthood? This is a nation wide call number. Where ever you dial, you'll connected to the nearest crisis answering center. I toured my local 211 answering center this week, and here are the areas that 211 can help in crisis.
1. Domestic Abuse
In the state of Florida it's illegal to suspect that a child is being abused and not report it. Do you know the legislation in your state? If you ever know of a child or spouse who is being abused, they need to be informed of 211. Through 211 they can be taken to a safe location, receive legal assistance in order to be removed from the abusive situation, and receive the therapy they need to heal from the trauma.
2. Suicide Prevention
If you or someone you know has had suicidal thoughts, they should have been given the opportunity to hear of 211. I have been exposed to the national suicide lifeline in mental health classes, which by the way is 1-800-273-8255. However, 211 is something we can remember in time of crisis. Once 211 is dialed, you get a local voice with available dispatchers who could be headed in your direction in minutes if needed. As someone who is Mental Health First Aid trained, the individual that answers these phone calls and is de-escalating the situation is crucial until a professional can get to them.
3. Sexual Assault
Going through something as traumatic as sexual assault, the survivor may not know what to do. If they're made familiar with 211, they can dial as soon as they feel ready to talk to someone about it, are interested in seeking therapy, or are interested in getting tested. My local 211 receiving center has a safe place where survivors of sexual assault can come and be given a rape kit. The results are kept for up to a year while the individual decides what move they'd like to make next. The local hospital does not consider sexual assault to be a medical emergency, and therefore if an individual seeks help at an emergency room first they may be in the waiting room for up to 18 hours. Additionally, individuals who survived an assault long in the past can dial 211 and have an appointment set up with a counselor for them quickly.
4. Veterans' Services
I frequently hear about Veterans' services, but I didn't know where they could be found or where Veterans could easily be directed to these services. If a Veteran dials 211 and is having a crisis, mental, emotional, or financial, they can be immediately connected with a program that meets their needs and an appointment can be set up for them. It's important for Veterans in any community to feel that someone local is there for them and that they have access to appropriate services.
5. Trauma Therapy
Trauma is a broad topic. Often after an event such as a car accident, an individual will find the memory of the incident impacting their thoughts, sleep, and daily activities. Informing someone experiencing trauma about 211 gives them the opportunity to call and be talked to when they're experiencing an painful memory. My 211 center has trauma therapy for adults and children. It's important that someone have access to normalizing their trauma trigger and exposing them to the stimulus and discussing the situation until they can be exposed without an emotional response occurring.
Just because a person isn't physically injured, doesn't mean that they don't require immediate and emergency contact. This is where 211 comes into place. The individuals' story is told once and they are put in contact with the right agency, or made an appointment so that they can be helped as soon as they're ready to intervene. And furthermore, in case of potential harm to themselves or others, my 211 center will pick up the individual and take them to a safe, and local location to be evaluated.
If you are a parent, a teacher, a college student, or a health professional, you need to be responsible for knowing 211. We need to be teaching the next generation from a young age age that there is a number you can call if you feel uneasy, if you feel unwell, if you need someone who professionally deals with mental health to talk you through the thoughts. Thank you for being part of my journey to educate people and disburse information about 211, it could save a life.
