McGowan

McGowan

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WILKES-BARRE — In 2019, Family Service Association identified a need for reports to the stakeholders of its PA 211 NE services.

That need has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, FSA CEO Gertrude C. McGowan, Esq., said Thursday.

“We determined that more individuals across our 17-county footprint needed to better understand who was calling the 24/7/365 information and referral and crisis management service,” McGowan said. “PA 211 NE wanted to share what human service needs were being identified.”

The 17 counties served by PA 211 NE are: Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming.

McGowan said she has worked closely with Tom Foley, director of PA 211 NE, and his team and to create a meaningful format for these reports. She said each month, stakeholders in each of PA 211 NE’s 17 county footprint receive colorful, easy-to-read reports that share volume of calls, number of website visits, top need categories, top agency referrals, contacts by gender, contacts by age range and contacts by zip codes.

McGowan said the regional reports also break down the contacts by county and they are shared, depending on the preferred method of the stakeholder, by email or mailing each month. PA 211 NE provides monthly, quarterly and annual reports by county and by region, McGowan said.

Foley said the reports get tweaked each month.

“We are now considering how to add numbers of texts to our reports,” Foley said. “The number has grown more significant since dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, so we want to share this information with our stakeholders. I am now working with the team to add these reports to our Family Service Association web site monthly.”

McGowan noted the distribution list started with under 100 names and is now shared with more than 500 stakeholders each month.

“Each month that these reports are distributed, we get requests and suggestions for others that want to receive the meaningful reports,” McGowan said.

Bill Jones, President and CEO of the United Way of Wyoming Valley, was one of the initial community leaders whose input encouraged the creation and distribution of the PA 211 NE reports. Jones discussed with FSA the “significance of the data housed with PA 211 NE.” Jones stressed that the “identification of needs that occurs when PA 211 NE consumers call for assistance is a useful guide to funders in how to distribute their resources.”

McGowan said PA 211 NE initially developed a core list of historical supporters of the service, including the United Ways in its 17 county region, foundations, and government offices. She said the list now includes even more stakeholders and supporters and has expanded to include elected officials, media contacts, community-minded individuals and more.

Anyone who wishes to receive the reports from PA 211 NE can call McGowan at FSA headquarters at 570-823-5144, extension 351, or by dialing 211 and asking a PA 211 NE caseworker or Foley.

FSA also encourages anyone who themselves, or on behalf of a loved one needs a referral to human services, to call 211, text 211 (898 211 and provide a zip code) or log onto PA211NE.org.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.