Cary, NC -- United Way of North Carolina (UWNC) welcomed North Carolina legislators, UWNC Board Members, local NC United Way leaders, and members of the media to its office on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 to meet the NC 211 team and see them in action while taking calls pertaining to Tropical Storm Helene.
Guests got to take a tour around the office, stopping at each of the following stations:
- Marketing/Communications from Sara Carlson, Mission Advancement Specialist
- Resources and data from Michele Otake, Resource Supervisor
- NC 211 call center with Jacqueline Lopez, NCCARE 360 and NC 211 Supervisor
- Digital equity and literacy with Ryan Francis, Digital Team Supervisor
- Reporting with K'leigh Mayer, Customer Services & Reporting Manager
From left to right: Ryan Francis, K'leigh Mayer, David Mercado, Brittany Pruitt Fletcher, Michele Otake, Sara Carlson, & Ed Bonilla. Not pictured: Jacqueline Lopez. For more pictures, visit our NC 211 Facebook Page.
UWNC welcomed Kylie Holmes with Airbnb, Heather Black with United Way, Amari Bass, David Reese, and Ayana Simon with FHLI/NCCARE360, Tim Kent, CAE with North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, Wally Wazan with NC Commerce, Representative Allen Buansi, and Senator Jay Chaudhuri.
UWNC also welcomed WRAL, CBS 17, and WXII 12 to report on our NC 211 call center and the work we've been doing to support folks affected by Hurricane Helene. You can watch our news stories by going to our "In the News" playlist on our YouTube channel.
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NC 211 is a part of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), serving as an access point for resources and vital information during disasters and public health crises. When a state-wide emergency occurs, 2-1-1 is available to receive calls regarding the crisis.
Since September 25, NC 211 has handled over 20,000 calls and has processed over 8,000 missing persons/welfare check requests.
NC 211 is simultaneously addressing the needs of non-affected North Carolinians with their information requests such as utility and rent assistance, elder care, medical care and more, with a 97% service rate.
The average call wait-time has been 4 minutes, 30 seconds.
“They are killing it. I couldn’t be more proud of our team for jumping into action and being so adaptive to handling the increased volume of calls and requests we’ve been receiving. It's been a privilege to serve our callers as quickly and efficiently as possible to get them the information they need.” - David Mercado, Senior Director of Operations
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About United Way of North Carolina and NC 211
We bridge people, local United Ways, and resources so individuals, families and communities thrive in North Carolina. United Way of North Carolina also manages NC 211, this multilingual and confidential service provides health and human services information and referrals through a free statewide phone number (2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162) and website (www.nc211.org). Real-time caller data is available at 211counts.org. NC 211, in combination with local United Way programs and partners, works collaboratively to ensure our residents’ greatest needs are met, year-round, but especially during a disaster.