HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS COMBINE ON HOTLINE

A group representing 10 Cape Girardeau County organizations has implemented a health service information hotline.

The local number has 10 extensions each with a two-minute recorded message describing the services of area health-care providers and their phone numbers.

The service will not only provide area residents with information about the care that is available to them, it will help care providers track the type of services most residents are interested in, Cape Girardeau County Health Department Director Charlotte Craig said.

Craig is a member of The Healthier Community Coalition, the group that established the hotline. The coalition is made up of the health department, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society Inc., Community Caring Council, Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Mentoring Partnership, St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, Southeast Missouri State University and Vision 2000.

The hotline, which is (573) 332-0030, will offer callers information on Cape Girardeau County hospitals, walk-in clinics, immunizations, physician referral services, family planning services, support groups, drug and alcohol treatment programs, sexually transmitted diseases, Medicaid and Medicare services and abuse and neglect.

The information provided is basically an educated guess as to what the public wants to know, Craig said. The recordings were made after a series of town hall meetings in the county provided hotline developers with a feel for what the public wanted.

The information will be updated as users provide feedback.

Craig said the group had a budget of $16,000 to start a program this year. Group members decided the hotline would be the best use of that money.

Craig said most of the money went to establishing the line, which was done through LDD phone service, and hiring a part-time worker to do the leg work.

LDD may be able set up a system that monitors which lines the incoming calls are going to, Craig said. This would provide valuable data on where the county's health service needs are concentrated. Craig said this kind of information would be needed when the group and its members apply for state and federal grants.

Craig said if LDD is not able to set up this system the group might consider purchasing one independently on next year's budget.

Jeff Krantz, Southeast Missouri Hospital's planning director, said this program will help bring down the health-care barrier between the service providers and their custumers.

"There are many people who aren't aware of what services are available to them or how to access those services," Krantz said.

Krantz said town hall meetings similar to the ones that occurred in Cape Girardeau County prior to the implementation of the hotline are scheduled throughout Bollinger County in April.

Meetings are set for 7 p.m. April 8 at Woodland High School Library; April 10 at Scopus Fire Department; and April 15 at Leopold High School Music Room.