Each week we will post a summary of interesting and representative 211 calls. This week, we have connections from New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador:

New Brunswick:

When people have several needs, it is hard to concentrate on the best plan forward. 211 Service Navigators can assist callers even when they have many different and pressing problems.

A 211 Service Navigator took a call from a man in Moncton who was feeling overcome by worries. He had many concerns, and wasn’t sure where to start. He was struggling with some mental health concerns, and was having money problems. He was looking for employment and for food as well.

The Service Navigator started by clarifying the caller’s needs. They focused on each area one at a time, and prioritized what was most important. The Service Navigator provided the caller with immediate as well as more long-term mental health resources. He empathized with the caller’s monetary situation and found utility programs to help pay the bills that he was struggling with. He also located a food bank within walking distance of the caller, as well as an employment organization to help him back into the workforce when he is ready.

Newfoundland and Labrador:

When a problem seems unsolvable, sometimes brainstorming for resources with a Service Navigator can be just what is needed.

A woman called 211 looking for a solution. The caller’s daughter has “aged out” of the mental health treatment program at the local hospital. The caller said that her daughter has not had her mental health medications refilled for two weeks. They had tried to reach her former doctor at the hospital, but with no success. The daughter does not have a family doctor. They had called 811 and walk-in clinics with no resolution to the problem. The daughter is going to college and is falling behind because of the lack of medications.

The Service Navigator showed empathy for the caller’s frustration. She provided several referrals including a community mental health agency for guidance, and the nearest hospital to the college for possible connections to fill the prescription. The caller said that she would try these ideas right away. The Service Navigator let her know that 211 was available 24 hours in case she or her daughter needed more help.