State to launch 211 service hotline

After a quiet pilot test, Maryland officials plan to publicly launch a statewide, 24-hour hotline to connect residents with health and human services next month.

Starting in mid-October, residents can dial 211 for information on public services including day care, substance abuse help, food pantries, medical care, domestic abuse and homeless shelters ? the list is endless, according to Saundra Bond, associate vice president of the United Way of Central Maryland.