Power in Partnership: 211info

In this Q&A, Dan Herman, CEO at 211info, explains how they’ve partnered with Unite Us to create an innovative care model that expands access to critical resources across Oregon and southwest Washington.

Our Power in Partnership series highlights our national and regional partners and the work they do with Unite Us to build healthier communities.

Tell us more about your organization.

211info is a private nonprofit serving Oregon and Southwest Washington that connects people with the help they need. We provide free, confidential information and referrals to services like food, housing, healthcare, childcare, utility assistance, and other essential support. Our team is available 24/7, ensuring that anyone can access support at any time. We offer live translation services in over 240 languages and can facilitate warm transfers to emergency and crisis lines when needed.

Beyond traditional information and referral (I&R) services, our Coordination Center offers enhanced support to help reduce barriers and improve access to care with more hands-on guidance to help individuals connect with the right support.

What are the needs of the individuals and families you serve?

The needs of people who contact 211info vary widely, but common themes include housing and shelter, food access, healthcare access, and utility assistance. Many individuals and families we serve face multiple challenges at once, so they require not just a quick referral, but a deeper level of support to navigate complex systems. Our staff is trained to go beyond providing a simple list of resources—they listen closely to each caller’s unique situation and ask the right questions to provide customized help.

We call this approach “asking the second question.” By digging deeper and fully understanding someone’s circumstances, we can offer comprehensive support, uncover options they may not have considered, and tailor solutions to their specific needs.

What are the main programs or offerings that your organization provides? How have these expanded or evolved over time?

211info provides a broad range of services, including traditional I&R services, specialized navigation for maternal and child health, foster parent support, SNAP and food access, and childcare assistance. We also collaborate with county and city agencies to manage waitlist access and conduct pre-screenings for various homeless services and coordinated access programs.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our emergency incident response has expanded from serving individual localities to providing statewide coverage. 211info is often one of the first points of contact for assistance during natural and human-made disasters, such as wildfires, severe weather events, and public health crises. We offer swift connections to essential resources, support services, and up-to-date local information, helping to ease the strain on 911 and emergency medical services.

Launched in 2020, our Coordination Center partners with coordinated care organizations (CCOs) and healthcare providers to offer a more personalized approach to resource navigation. Through community-based support, client-led care, and individual outcome tracking, we ensure that people are connected to the right services and receive follow-up support when needed.

Additionally, our Coordination Center now offers Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) assistance, supporting CCOs with Medicaid Waiver implementation. We help with eligibility screenings and applications to promote a “no wrong door” approach for clients seeking assistance.

What led you to partner with Unite Us? Can you explain the nature of our partnership and how we work together?

We partnered with Unite Us as part of the natural evolution of our care model, moving beyond traditional I&R services to incorporate more comprehensive support and additional care services.

The Unite Us platform enables us to follow up with clients who need more in-depth assistance. This approach supports the integration of health care and social services through a secure closed-loop referral (CLR) system, ensuring that clients receive follow-up support and warm hand-offs for ongoing care.

“Our partnership with Unite Us also allows us to streamline collaboration with healthcare providers and community-based organizations, which helps improve the way we serve our local communities. While anonymous and traditional information and referral remains central to our work, Unite Us is a helpful tool to manage referrals and track outcomes within our Coordination Center.” – Dan Herman, CEO, 211info

How does collaborating with other organizations play a role in your work?

Collaboration is central to the work we do at 211info. By working closely with community-based organizations (CBOs), healthcare providers, and CCOs, we build strong networks that allow us to connect people with the right services more effectively. We also have a dedicated community outreach and engagement team who live and work across all of Oregon and Southwest Washington to build local community and partner relationships and ensure the accuracy of local resources.

In addition, as part of our expanded partner collaboration, 211info now hosts service provider roundtables throughout all of Oregon and Southwest Washington to bring local agencies together to work toward common goals. These roundtables help streamline service delivery, encourage inter-agency information sharing, help coordinate efforts, and reduce service fragmentation.

By collaborating in these spaces, we enhance the ability of local communities to respond to emerging needs, identify service gaps, and ensure a more connected and comprehensive service model. Whether it’s through coordinating referrals or facilitating information sharing, collaboration is essential in creating a network of support where all partners contribute to a unified system of care.

What is something you are excited about in terms of future projects and/or initiatives at your organization?

Using our partnership with Connect Oregon and Unite Us in our Coordination Center to assist Oregon’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver! We recently kicked off this project and will continue implementing more CCOs over time. 211info is screening members for climate devices, housing supports, and nutrition support, and we’re able to screen for eligibility in real-time on behalf of CCOs, as well as provide traditional I&R to clients for other needs.

We also look forward to deepening our role in emergency preparedness and incident response by becoming more integrated into state and regional emergency management plans. Our goal is to streamline how the public can quickly and reliably access real-time, localized support during times of crisis through our centralized contact center.

What excites you most about your partnership with Unite Us?

What excites us most about our partnership with Unite Us is our shared vision for integrating health care and social services in a way that truly benefits our communities. Both of our organizations understand that people’s needs are complex and dynamic and that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. This alignment allows us to build a more connected care system for those we serve.

We also genuinely enjoy working with the Unite Us team! Beyond their expertise, the Pacific Northwest group is collaborative, easygoing, and fun to work with—making the teamwork enjoyable.

Most importantly, our partnership delivers real, tangible outcomes for local communities. It’s exciting to see our progress and to know that we’re both working toward the same goal of making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Do you have any additional success stories or quotes you’d like to highlight?

When a CCO referred a client to our Coordination Center, he was in medical respite and needed assistance with a housing assessment, medical equipment, and basic household goods. One of our care coordinators connected him with resources such as the Aging and Disability Resource Center, local housing programs, and a nonprofit providing assistive technology. This organization recommended additional resources, including an agency for paralyzed veterans, The Lions Club, and others. The care coordinator reflected, “the impact of all of us working together will completely change his chances for a better, more productive life. With the wheelchair, he’ll gain mobility, and housing will take him off the streets, preventing further health issues—ultimately, this will save his life.”

Another client called our Coordination Center while their usual care coordinator was off and spoke with another coordinator about an urgent issue—they had accidentally locked their keys in their car, along with their medical equipment, including oxygen, inside. Unsure of who to contact, the client reached out to the Coordination Center, where they had built rapport with the team. The client later shared:

“I was panicking because I had locked my keys and all my important things in my car. The care coordinator was a huge help and dedicated to making sure I got help. They told me not to hang up until we found someone who could get me back into my car. They even made calls on my behalf to figure out which options would work and which wouldn’t. Ultimately, we were able to contact non-emergency services, and the fire department came quickly and got me back into my car at no charge. I’m so grateful for the help.”