Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Page 3
Court Tests Multilingual Hot Line Service at Mosk Courthouse
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Multilingual hot lines that directly connect callers to operators who can refer them to county service agencies are being tested at the Stanley Mosk courthouse, officials said yesterday.
Special blue-handled telephones are being used to provide the service, which is free, the court said in a press release. The operators speak English and Spanish, and can connect with interpreters speaking 140 additional languages with the caller remaining on the line.
Callers can obtain information about legal support, public benefits, substance abuse programs, counseling, job training, and other services offered by the court and county.
Booths equipped with the special phones are on the 4th floor near the Grand Street entrance and the 2nd floor across from the children’s waiting room. The hot lines are a pilot project of the county’s “211” agency and the court and may be installed in additional courthouses, the court said.
Superior Court Judge Charles McCoy, who supervises the civil departments downtown, hailed the service.
“Using a 211 telephone Court customers immediate and valuable assistance, saving them days—even weeks—of searching for critical Court programs and county social services,” the judge said in a statement.
The service can also be reached by dialing 211 from any landline telephone in the county or by dialing 1-800-339-6993 from a mobile phone or from a landline outside the county.
Copyright 2006, Metropolitan News Company