2-1-1

There have been more than 3.5 million requests for assistance to 2-1-1 help lines around the United States since the coronavirus pandemic hit this spring. The impact was immediate and dramatic, said a Brown School researcher who tracks calls to 2-1-1 help lines across the U.S.

Each year, more than 16 million people in the U.S. dial 2-1-1 for help with both emergency services requests and basic needs. The Brown’s School’s 2-1-1 Counts is the first tool to provide real-time, searchable and visual presentations of data from call centers across the nation.

The 2-1-1 phone information and referral system could be a key partner in efforts to reduce cancer disparities affecting low-income and racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S., finds a new study by Jason Purnell, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.