THE NEW IRis 2.0

IRis is Social Service’s specialized social resource database of community programs and commercial services in Massachusetts. It contains more than 4,000 programs like drug treatment centers, assisted living facilities, food pantries, friendly visiting, and support groups. If you already use it, the IRis 2.0 training will make your life easier. If you don’t, the training will be a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of IRis.

On April 6^th the new IRis 2.0 will replace our current version. If you need to use IRis and your training is late in the week, don’t worry. Except for a different password (use your computer login instead of the four number password) IRis 2.0 is very similar to the old IRis. So, what’s the difference? Consider the following:

• It is in the more user-friendly Windows format
• You can narrow your searches with "Filters" that look for programs accepting a particular insurance or who have foreign language capacity
• You can gradually expand your search from a particular city, to a county sub-section, to a county, to a section of the state. This means that even if you don’t find a program in your desired city, you don’t have to wade through all the programs to find one nearby
• Kelley McLaughlin is adding all her transportation contacts
• Boston Senior Homecare has updated all of their agencies and programs which makes up the bulk of our data

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