Countywide : Phone Assistance Program Unveiled

A 24-hour telephone message system intended to assist county residents with personal and health-care needs and provide up-to-date information about countywide educational, recreational, cultural and volunteer opportunities began operation Tuesday.

Recorded in Spanish and English by local and national celebrities, InfoPartner features more than 110 audio messages dealing with such topics as health, physical and sexual abuse, employment and the environment.

“InfoPartner is a very special gift because it will reach so many people with a wide spectrum of information over a long period of time,” Gary Johnson, United Way chairman of the board, told about 200 guests assembled in the Fluor Corp. Flag Courtyard.

The system is accessible from any touch tone telephone. Callers need only dial (714) 253-7766 then enter a three-digit code corresponding to the message they wish to hear. Callers are then given information about other agencies or phone numbers to call about their specific area of interest.

For instance, in a message entitled “Living With Stress,” K-Ocean radio announcer Holly Adams spells out the major causes and symptoms of stress and tells callers that failure to address problems associated with stress may lead to serious physical and mental problems. Another voice then instructs callers to contact the Family Service Assn. at (714) 838-7377 to speak with a counselor if further assistance is needed.

Funded primarily by a $180,000 grant from the Pacific Mutual Foundation, the program has enlisted the support of several businesses and community service organizations. It is funded for the first three years but will require community support in order to continue, said Tom Sutton, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacific Mutual.

“InfoPartner is an important community resource for our English- as well as our Spanish-speaking community,” Sutton said. “We’re really fortunate to live in Orange County. Many of us were attracted here from somewhere else. It is for that reason that many of us are motivated to do things to make sure that those attractive features continue and that our problems are addressed and minimized.”

Mary Watson, board chairwoman of the Volunteer Center of Santa Ana, said the message system should have a great impact on her program, which provides volunteers for various community organizations.

“Not only are there messages from Barbara Bush, Gloria Deukmejian and Whoopi Goldberg about the benefits of volunteering, but there are specific messages for young people, for seniors, for corporate volunteers,” Watson said.

To meet the changing needs of the community, the program will be monitored by United Way on a monthly basis and updated twice yearly, said George Phillips, a United Way worker who helped to develop the system.

“We’d like to see between 100,000 and 150,000 calls the first year.”

The technical nucleus of the message system was developed by the marketing communications firm of Palmer, Sharritt & Company Inc., which has set up similar programs in other parts of the country. The firm provided examples from users about how those programs have affected their lives.

For instance, a message on teen-age suicide recorded by actor Mike Farrell prevented a young boy from committing suicide, Johnson said. In a letter to the actor, the boy wrote: “Many things you say seem to be true. I also happen to believe that it does not indicate I am insane just because I feel my life is not worth living any longer. I will hang in there a little longer.”