· How We Maintain the Database
· How We Collect Information
· Database Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
· Style Rules
· Indexing an Agency's Services
· To be Included in the Database or to Update your Agency Information

Our team of Information and Referral Specialists (database focus) and a Referral Database Coordinator works year round on updating our database of health and human services. Each person is responsible for updating defined areas of the database or are responsible for interviewing and processing new agencies and services. The team works closely together to maintain consistency in service term indexing, agency inclusion, and writing style. For more information contact Karen Brandt, Referral Database Coordinator, at 608-775-6331 or kjbrandt@gundluth.org.

How We Maintain the Database

Our database is updated every day as we learn about changes. Information and Referral Specialists continually check resources and contacts to verify changes to ensure that our data is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. We encourage you to contact us immediately if you see any information in the on-line search engine or in one of our electronic directories that you believe is inaccurate. Entries in the database are also updated formally at least annually.

How We Collect Information

Great Rivers 2-1-1 makes a serious commitment to maintaining an accurate database. Our most dynamic resource for information is our callers themselves. Since our own Information and Referral Specialists who take calls are accessing the data every single day and giving information to hundreds of callers, we often hear about new information or inaccurate records when changes are fresh. We also subscribe and carefully screen community based newspapers, looking for new or changed information. Great Rivers 2-1-1's staff also attend meetings, serve on community boards and committees, attend community events, and subscribe to agency newsletters. All information collected is passed along to the Information and Referral Specialists who work on the database. They then process the information for the database. We also rely on agencies to let us know when they are getting inappropriate referrals or when they have new programs. We send annual printouts to each agency in our database, showing them the details we have about their services and sites. Agencies can then review their information, and send us back their corrections or verify that their information is still accurate. Agencies can also log on through our Provider Portal at www.infoandreferralcenter.org to update their information on-line. Contact kjbrandt@gundluth.org to obtain a user ID and password to access your agency information.

Database Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
The following types of health and human service agencies and organizations will be included in the Great Rivers 2-1-1 database:
· Nonprofit 501 and 501C3 organizations
· Other public/private organizations offering free/low cost services
· Hospitals and clinics including emergency medical care and free/low cost dental care
· Membership organizations (i.e. faith-based organizations) offering a health and human service to the greater community, not confined to their own membership
· Agencies providing Information and Referral including specialized Information and Referral services
· Elected officials and government offices
· Public educational institutions
· Fundraising organizations providing services to the nonprofit sector
· Nursing homes, retirement homes and communities, independent and assisted living facilities
· Counseling agencies/private mental health practitioners or individual therapists when appropriately licensed or accredited according to state law
· Proprietary agencies under government or nonprofit sector
· For-profit agencies may be included if they offer services not adequately covered by the nonprofit sector and/or where they offer free or low cost services or accept third party payments including Medicare, Medicaid
· Self-help/support groups
· Professional organizations in the area of health and human services may be included at the discretion of Great Rivers 211
· Center-based child care providers and preschool programs
· Agencies will be included within the following geographical area:
· Located within or serving the Wisconsin Counties of Buffalo, Chippewa, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Pepin, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon; the Iowa Counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek; and the Minnesota Counties of Fillmore, Houston, and Winona
· Regional/statewide agencies and organizations within Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa will be included if they serve one of the above listed counties
· National organizations will be included at the discretion of Great Rivers 2-1-1
The following will not be included:
· Agencies or services which misrepresent their services in any way
· Private for-profit organizations at the discretion of Great Rivers 2-1-1
· Those agencies not being licensed where licensing standards exist
· Private health care practitioners including dentists unless offering free/low cost services
· Clubs and service organizations
· Home based businesses will generally not be included
· Agencies engaged in fraudulent or illegal activities

Disclaimers:
· A listing in the Great Rivers 2-1-1 database does not constitute endorsement of or liability for any agency program or service
· Great Rivers 2-1-1 reserves the right to refuse listing an agency, if in its sole opinion, such a listing is deemed inappropriate
· Great Rivers 2-1-1 does not guarantee client referrals to organizations in the database. Agencies are completely and wholly responsible for screening clients for eligibility of services within their program(s)
· Great Rivers 2-1-1 reserves the right to edit agency/service information to make it compatible with software fields and to make the information consistent with other like agencies/services listed
· Great Rivers 2-1-1 reserves the right to cancel a listing when an agency no longer meets the required criteria or if the agency does not provide updated information regarding the organization when requested by Great Rivers 211
· Great Rivers 2-1-1 will consider the following as a basis for denying inclusion in its database:
· Agencies denying services on basis of color, race, religion, ancestry, sexual preference, nationality, creed, or whose service is illegal
· When Great Rivers 2-1-1 knows or has reasonable basis to believe services to clients are not in accord with accepted community professional practices and standards

Appeal Process:
Agencies may appeal decisions regarding being listed in the database by contacting the referral database coordinator (608) 775-6331. If there continues to be a dispute the agency director (608) 775-6335 will be contacted.

Style Rules

Great River’s 2-1-1's database specialists enter agency information according to internal style rules. In general, agency descriptions state the agency type, and provide a general description of services and programs. We have many style rules that establish standards for the database including how to write and edit agency and service descriptions; how to write addresses, hours, and administrator titles; when we add sites to agencies; when we add programs. Any questions about our style manual should be directed to the Referral Database Coordinator.

Indexing an Agency's Services

2-1-1 uses the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (www.airs.org) approved Taxonomy of Human Services (www.211taxonomy.org), a standard indexing system used by human service Information and Referral systems throughout the United States. This national taxonomy contains thousands of service terms, organized into ten general categories and many subcategories. 2-1-1 uses a customized portion of these, chosen according to our own general information and referral needs. Agencies in the database cannot re-name specific service terms since the terms are part of a national indexing system. However, we invite your comments and suggestions about the service terms we use and we do add terms or make changes to terms when community needs or standards in acceptable terminology advise a change.

To Be Included in the Database or to Update Your Agency’s Information

Log on to the Provider Portal at www.infoandreferralcenter.org or dial 211 or 1-800-362-8255 to request to be included in the on-line database.