Inclusion/Exclusion Policies

This policy was updated on October 2, 2007 by 2-1-1 Mississippi in accordance with the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) Standards for Professional Information and Referral Services.

Disclaimer: 2-1-1 Mississippi reserves the right to prioritize and limit entry in the database. Factors such as staffing, funding and agency participation affect the extent to which all eligible agencies can be included. Inclusion in the 2-1-1 database does not guarantee client referral, indicate endorsement and omission does not indicate disapproval of any agency. 211 may refer callers to an agency but it is the responsibility of the agency to screen callers for eligibility within their programs.

To be included in the 211 Database, an Organization or Individual Service Provider must first meet ALL THREE of the following GENERAL TERMS OF INCLUSION:

GENERAL TERMS OF INCLUSION

Provides a health or human service for residents of Mississippi

Is licensed or certified, when applicable.

Have a consistently available contact person, location, and telephone number.

Inclusion

The following organizations may be included in the database if they have been in existence for at least one full year and meet the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) definition of human services:

Government and Nonprofit agencies that provide a community service.

School Districts, but not individual schools

Organizations which offer a service to the community at large, not just their own members.

Private companies which provide a community service either free or with a sliding scale of fees.

Self-help support groups.

Hospitals, health clinics, personal and intermediate care homes that provide a service that is free, accepts Medicaid, Medicare or with a sliding scale of fees.

Organizations outside of Mississippi which provide a service to Mississippi residents.

Advocacy groups. (Must be approved by 2-1-1 Mississippi’s Governing Committee)

Service Clubs and recreational programs that provide a service that is free or with a sliding scale of fees.

Places of worship that provides a service to the public.

For-profit organizations that are either providing important human services or are licensed by a government authority to provide a particular service.

Exclusion

Organizations may be excluded or removed from the database if any of the following conditions apply:

Denial of service on the basis of race, sexual orientation, religious belief or national origin.

Violation of local, state or federal laws or regulations.

Failure to maintain proper licensure or certification where those standards exist.

Lack of established address, phone and consistently available contact person.

Service for members only or a very narrow population. (Except for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Veterans of War)

Misrepresentation of services in any way.

Lack of response when asked to update agency information.

Churches or local service groups that offer no special services to the community at large.

Elected government officials.

Private practitioners, group practices of mental health providers, medical doctors, osteopaths, podiatrists, dentists, legal/paralegal providers and any similar for-profit, proprietary providers.

2-1-1 Mississippi maintains and updates all agencies within the database yearly based upon these polices. For more information, please contact 2-1-1 Mississippi at info@211ms.com or 866-472-8265