For one Baltimore woman who required regular medical appointments at the Harriet Lane Clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the process to get there would start with taking the day off from work.

She’d leave her home at 10 a.m., walk a mile to the bus stop and wait for a bus that wasn’t already full — several would pass by — to pick her up for the 30-minute ride to East Baltimore. After her 2 p.m. appointment, she’d repeat this process in reverse, ending up back home at dusk.

The seven-hour journey was the only option she thought she had before learning about the free Lyft rides available for her medical appointments through 211 Maryland, an information and referral help line that connects residents to essential health and human services. With a ride coordinated by 211, the woman could now travel directly to the clinic and back, slashing her transportation time by at least five hours.

When 211 representatives contacted her later to check in, “you could hear that the despair had left her system,” says Karen Marc, United Way’s senior director of operations for the help line. “She no longer had to miss a day of work to take care of her medical necessities.”

Marc shared this story at the recent kickoff for the Johns Hopkins Medicine United Way campaign, which runs through Dec. 22 and aims to raise $1.24 million. Faculty and staff can donate online at login.johnshopkins.edu/unitedway through e-Pledge, a new easy-to-use giving platform with single sign on and payment by credit card or payroll deduction.

The giving campaign helps fund the largest of the state’s four 211 call centers, which serves Central Maryland including Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. 

By simply dialing 211, callers reach community resource specialists who can connect them to more than 7,500 local services and programs — such as the CASH Campaign of Maryland, which offers free tax help to low-income residents, and Access to Counsel in Evictions, which provides legal assistance to Baltimore City renters.

A free, confidential service available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year in 150 languages, 211 fielded 112,000 calls from Central Maryland residents during the last fiscal year. The greatest demand was for housing assistance, followed by utility payments, food, and tax and legal help.

“Our call specialists, they know so much,” says Franklyn Baker, president and chief executive officer of United Way Central Maryland. “They’re patient, they’re calm and they help people navigate through a web of resources.”

In addition to supporting Marylanders directly, 211 collects data that helps inform local policy and funding decisions by measuring community needs and identifying where gaps may exist, according to Marc.

“When you donate to 211, you're helping our community resource specialists, interns and volunteers take these calls every day,” Marc says. “They’re actively listening to stories from the communities they serve and they’re suggesting resources that reduce barriers and improve lives.”

Resources available through 211

Adult education

Adult protective services

Day care

Domestic violence help

Emergency food

Emergency shelter

Eviction prevention 

Financial counseling

Job training

Legal services

Medical care (nonemergency)

Mental health services

Mortgage foreclosure prevention

Prescription assistance

Services for older people

Substance use disorder treatment

Summer meals/camps

Utility bill assistance