By Bruce Bartlett

Many people who have ongoing mental and emotional health problems are survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These can have lasting, negative effects on health and well-being, as well as on education, job potential, and other life opportunities. They often have difficulty knowing where to turn for assistance.

To help address this tragic situation, people in need may be able to find support from the service providers in the Connect Oregon network—regardless of where they enter the system of care—to address both the upstream and downstream effects of ACEs.

The 211Info System is the public-facing entry point of Connect Oregon. 211info’s Coordination Center helps people find community service resources in the Connect Oregon network through the 211 phone number (analogous to 911 and 988) and the corresponding website.

The Unite Us platform provides an electronic infrastructure to manage coordination of the overall system of care that is Connect Oregon. The intuitive and easy-to-use Unite Us platform allows caregivers to coordinate care and collaborate across the western United States to efficiently address people’s physical, emotional, social, and mental health needs.

211 partners with Unite Us to create the Connect Oregon network which is funded by United Way, Kaiser Permanente and Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization, and others. By allowing clients to give consent for their information to be shared among the service providers, the system addresses critical personal privacy issues that too often limit compassionate coordination of care. How Connect Oregon works is described here.

Oregon is fortunate to have the Connect Oregon network, a rapidly developing integrated system of care for supporting people in need. This network builds synergy with Oregon voter-approved Measure 111, which established the human right to affordable health care in the state’s Constitution. The legislature is now moving forward with creating a governance board to manage the effort.

Service providers can join the 211 network through the Oregon Unite Us website. Joining the Connect Oregon network is free for community-focused organizations. As new service organizations join 211, on behalf of Connect Oregon, Unite Us updates their network list of providers and encourages network organizations to update their profile information quarterly to ensure accuracy. If you have experience with the 211 system, Connect Oregon, or suggestions for enhancements you would like to share, please email us here