Need for emergency services is growing in Ocean State

ON THE LINE: Cristina Amedeo, state director for the United Way’s 2-1-1 program, said that the service started with “12 walk-ins a week, now we have 12 a day.” / COURTESY UNITED WAY
ON THE LINE: Cristina Amedeo, state director for the United Way’s 2-1-1 program, said that the service started with “12 walk-ins a week, now we have 12 a day.” / COURTESY UNITED WAY

Fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, Cristina Amedeo directs the United Way’s 2-1-1 program, a free and confidential 24/7 information and referral helpline that connects Rhode Islanders from all walks of life with human- services programs to help cope with difficult times. The 2-1-1 service has handled more than 1 million requests for help since 2007, including 213,595 calls in 2013 – a new record.
Rhode Island’s 2-1-1 service also handles the highest call volume per capita of any such service in the country, according to the United Way. In 2013, the service began serving as a resource for the community in partnership with HealthSource RI to prepare for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and is expanding in other ways.

PBN: How does 2-1-1 work?
AMEDEO: 2-1-1 is an information and referral number. It is toll-free and available in 240 call centers in all 50 states. A person dials 2-1-1, it comes to a United Way building and it’s handled by one of 12 specialists 24/7, 365 days a year. Usually they call about heating assistance, rental assistance, health care and mental-health needs.

PBN: The 2-1-1 program serves people not only by phone but through walk-in services. When and why were walk-in services introduced?
AMEDEO: Walk-in was introduced in 2008 when we moved into [Providence’s] Olneyville neighborhood because there were a lot of individuals in those neighborhoods who had no telephone. We have several sites around the state where we use our new RV to host walk-in services.

PBN: Have walk-in services increased and if so, why, and how are you handling that?
AMEDEO: We started by having 12 walk-ins a week, now we have 12 a day. Individuals are also looking for that personal connection and the word got out that we do walk-in services. And our clients have changed: they need a little more hand-holding and further explanation about health and human services in our community. In 2008, the economy tanked. Clients now are individuals who used to be part of the working class.

PBN: What does the record high volume of 2-1-1 calls last year tell us about the state of the human-service needs in Rhode Island?
AMEDEO: It tells you that more than 6,000 individuals are losing their unemployment benefits every January. We seem to have this cycle. This year and last year it was 6,000; the year before was even more than that. We also started a partnership with the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless where 2-1-1 now does intakes for homeless families in Rhode Island. Shelters around the state that have vacancies pull from that list based on the families’ needs.
We also have less funding available to these individuals, so we have to work with the callers. [For example], if an individual doesn’t have any money for rent, we encourage them to go to a food pantry to get food and save the money they’d spend on food for rent. … Nine times out of 10 they don’t have health care so we help them find health care services.

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PBN: The 2-1-1 service has a double left quotenavigatordouble right quote on staff, funded by the R.I. Health Center Association, to assist with calls regarding health care coverage. How does it work?
AMEDEO: It was put into place in November. The individual is a navigator for Providence, Warwick and West Warwick. She receives referrals from HealthSource RI, the R.I. Department of Human Services, the public libraries and the HealthSource.gov website. She enrolls individuals that are now qualified for Medicaid or that might be on the Cobra plan which is very [costly]; she enrolls them in a plan that fits their income. For instance, she recently enrolled an individual who had been paying $820 for a family [health-insurance] plan in Cobra after a layoff. That person now pays $210 a month through HealthSource RI. With the savings, he’s now able to pay his mortgage.

PBN: How many calls do you get regarding Rhode Island’s new health care exchange?
AMEDEO: We get an average of about 2,500 to 3,000 calls pertaining to health care needs. They’ll call and say I lost my job, I need health insurance. That’s when we refer them to HealthSource RI. They aren’t specific: they just know they need help.

PBN: How many referrals have been made through the navigator?
AMEDEO: Our navigator has helped about 150 individuals enroll in Medicaid. We have a lot of individuals who become disabled. One person crushed his arm, he can no longer do the job; he applied for permanent disability. Now, he’s getting $2,000 a month.

PBN: What are some of your top goals for 2014 in handling the increased volume of calls?
AMEDEO: To get our RV on the road wherever it is needed; to address the needs of our community as much as possible; and to make 2-1-1 a household name more than it already is. I’m hoping to work closer with the state of Rhode Island legislators, the Statehouse, state police and the state departments in a way that can help individuals. ellipsis character My biggest dream for 2014 is collaboration. •

INTERVIEW
Cristina Amedeo
POSITION: State director for United Way 2-1-1 in Rhode Island
BACKGROUND: Amedeo began her career in social services in 1994 when she became a volunteer with what is now known as Crossroads Rhode Island. She became the organization’s full-time information and referral specialist/interpreter in 1995. She was promoted to supervisor of community information and referral services two years later and again to director of community services in 2000, the same year she became a certified information and referral specialist. For the past 15 years, Amedeo has led the state’s efforts to implement and deliver a statewide 2-1-1 system, which the United Way assumed responsibility for in 2007.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in psychology, Rhode Island College, 1996; associate degree business administration, Community College of Rhode Island, 1993
FIRST JOB: Waitressing at a Portuguese restaurant
RESIDENCE: Warwick
AGE: 42

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