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Partnership News
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A new report from The George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services found that asthma adds about 50 cents to every health care dollar spent on children with asthma compared to children without asthma. Report offers policy recommendations for improving childhood asthma outcomes.
Friday, February 12, 2010
There are sixteen legal fellows working at medical-legal partnerships across the United States. These fellows are sponsored by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, Equal Justice AmeriCorps and local fellowship programs.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Office Hours available! NCMLP staff and MLP Network members are available for 30 min. consultations on topics including basic MLP strategies, research and evaluation, and confidentiality and ethics. To book an appointment, please contact Leanne.Ta@bmc.org.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The American Bar Association highlighted its support for MLP in the Healthcare Reform bill in a recent
letter to Congressional leadership detailing ABA priorities in health care reform. Thanks to our
partners at the ABA!
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, New Jersey, and Ocean-Monmouth Legal Services, Inc. have launched a new program to provide legal services to those who seek medical care at the Center. This medical-legal partnership, named in honor of a former New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice and Red Bank Mayor, is called the Daniel J. O’Hern Legal Assistance and Medical Partnership (LAMP) program. The Parker recently received a grant from Merck Pharmaceuticals to support this much needed program.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Attention LSC-funded legal aid partners! We are committed to facilitating your participation in Capitol Hill Day in conformance with all LSC regulations. Our Hill Day partners, including the Podesta Group and McDermott Will & Emery, will work with individual sites to coordinate strategies to ensure appropriate participation. We strongly encourage our LSC-funded partners to register now, and stay tuned for resources and guidance. In the meantime, click here to see the Center for Law and Social Policy’s (CLASP) excellent analysis of LSC policy advocacy restrictions.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Defined by a history of both achievement and controversy, Medicaid has once again become central to the U.S. health policy debate, this time figuring as a key to national health care reform.
Monday, December 14, 2009
A fundraising effort to support legal services for Arkansans who cannot afford them got a boost this week when the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Wal-Mart Legal Department announced a $100,000 grant. Through the grant, Legal Aid of Arkansas will create a medical-legal partnership to provide clients access to legal services on-site in clinical health care settings...
Friday, December 4, 2009
On November 17th, Ellen Lawton participated in Root Cause’s Public Innovator’s forum on Capitol Hill to discuss medical-legal partnership in the context of social innovation and government investment.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The National Center is delighted to welcome Leanne Ta, Program Assistant to our team! Leanne will be working closely with the MLP Network, Working Groups and Medical Advisory Board.
Monday, November 9, 2009
New article in the New England Journal of Medicine discusses payment reform for safety-net healthcare institutions and mentions medical-legal partnership as an innovative program to promote better health outcomes among low-income patients.
Friday, November 6, 2009
We are thrilled to report that, thanks to the wonderful leadership of Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the House healthcare reform bill includes Section 2537, which calls for a federal demonstration project for medical-legal partnership. We salute the MLPs in many districts, especially Connecticut and Michigan, for their intrepid efforts to respond to inquiries about their wonderful work, which was pivotal to rallying legislative support.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Join us on March 24th as medical-legal partnership teams meet with members of Congress and staff to educate them about MLP and its impact on vulnerable populations in communities across the United States...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
An international consensus has emerged that interprofessional education (IPE) and other health care reforms are necessary to address the increasing complexity of patients’ health needs. Despite overwhelming barriers to its system-wide implementation, health professional students worldwide have organized themselves to promote IPE and have achieved considerable attention...
Monday, November 2, 2009
A new article in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine examines thirty years of national Food Stamp data and measures children's lifelong risk of poverty and food insecurity...
Monday, November 2, 2009
David Hilgers, Chair of the ABA Health Law Section, writes about the importance of medical-legal partnerships and encourages Health Law Section members to become more involved with programs in their communities...
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the recent American Academy of Pediatrics conference about children exposed to violence and the importance of cross-systems collaborations. Specifically, he mentioned “Boston Medical Center's programs that combine pediatrics, mental health professionals and attorneys" to work on behalf of children and families affected by violence.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Physicians receive little formal education in health policy and even less is known about the health policy knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of US residents despite several recent calls for increased attention to health policy in both the undergraduate and post-graduate education of physicians. Until recently, published accounts of actual programs or outcomes at the post-graduate level have been scant, although several excellent and long-standing programs exist...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Attention MLPs in the Northeast! Join MLP | Boston and key stakeholders for a day of learning and networking at the first ever Massachusetts statewide MLP conference on November 2, 2009, in Worcester, MA. Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern will deliver the keynote address and panels will offer perspectives on best practices in training, service delivery, systemic advocacy, research and evaluation and fundraising. MLP Sites and people interested in developing an MLP from Massachusetts and New England are welcome to attend. Attendance is free. Contact Jeff Wojciechowski at Jeffrey.Wojciechowski@bmc.org for more info or click here to register.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Report from the Legal Services Corporation shows that for every person helped by LSC-funded legal aid programs, another is turned away...
Partnership Resources
May 19, 2009 - 3:29pm
Article concludes that children’s asthma is associated with reduced parental employment among single parents and increased welfare receipt among single- and 2-parent families. These associations with children’s asthma may have implications for policy makers interested in increasing employment and decreasing welfare use.
CITATION:
The Association of Childhood Asthma with Parental Employment and Welfare Receipt. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association. Winter 2002. LA Smith, JL Hatcher & R Wertheimer.
February 17, 2009 - 10:42pm (Updated: February 17, 2009 - 11:00pm)
Each year, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership surveys partnership sites across the country on a range of topics from funding to evaluation to program challenges.
The 2008 medical-legal partnership site survey report shares data from 54 partnerships in the MLP Network.
May 19, 2009 - 2:20pm
Article examines advocacy as part of residency training:
There is a place for advocacy training in pediatric residencies if the focus is on learning techniques that make one more effective in supporting a cause or causes.
CITATION:
Advocacy is Not a Specialty.
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2005; 159:892. AB Bergman.
February 18, 2009 - 1:36am
The National Center evaluates the health impacts of public policies outside of the traditional health domain, such as utility access and housing subsidies for medically ill low-income people. CHIAs offer an objective, evidence- and experience- based method through which to evaluate the implications of policy, regulations, and legislation for children's health and well-being.
January 29, 2009 - 7:25pm
In December 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics passed a resolution in support of medical-legal partnership, encouraging members to partner with legal services providers.
January 29, 2009 - 7:23pm
In August 2007, the American Bar Association passed a resolution in favor of medical-legal partnership, praising their holistic approach to health and advancement of preventive law.
January 20, 2010 - 10:37pm (Updated: January 20, 2010 - 11:02pm)
There is currently strong language in the House healthcare reform bill for an MLP federal demonstration project. During this webinar, Ellen Lawton, executive director of the National Center and partners from the Podesta Group, provide an update on the status of the bill and outline strategies for Congressional outreach.
A second webinar will be offered specifically for MLP Capitol Hill Day participants.
Please note that there was a ten-minute audio glitch during this webinar that has been edited out. The attached PDF slides have the information that was skipped.
February 18, 2009 - 12:04am
In March 2008, the National Center and MLP | Boston conducted a legal needs assessment in Boston Medical Center's pediatric emergency department. This was one of the first studies to conduct an assessment of legal needs of a hospital-based population in which factors that may affect access to or utilization of legal assistance are also measured. The IRB approved study included a two part-survey -- a self-administered survey in the waiting room and a follow-up phone interview.
December 9, 2009 - 8:32pm (Updated: January 13, 2010 - 11:41am)
The law firm of Ropes & Gray LLP recently adopted a clinic at the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center. Working with Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, pro bono attorneys from Ropes & Gray now staff the legal clinic at Dorchester House.
The webinar explores how medical-legal partnerships can work with private law firms to build infrastructure for health center adoption.
Presenters: Danielle Pelfrey Duryea, Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP
Michelle Garvin, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP
Samantha Morton, Executive Director, Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston
Rosalyn Garbose Nasdor, Pro Bono Coordinator, Ropes & Gray
Kelly Scott-Flood, Attorney, American Bar Association
February 17, 2009 - 10:59pm
The National Center is developing a framework for conceptualizing how unmet legal needs affect health and developmental outcomes for children and families. The framework will provide an adaptable logic model that links program activities to the mechanisms through which disparities may develop and through which the program can effect positive change.
The emerging framework draws on a variety of efforts including this 2007 concept mapping project by Cornell University and MLP | Boston and related localized projects and academic papers.
February 17, 2009 - 11:20pm
The first part of the study was this self-administered survey offered to all adults in the waiting area who are the parent or guardian of a child being seen as a patient in the department. Those who completed the self-administered survey were invited to participate in a follow-up telephone interview in which subjects are asked to respond to questions related to the social and legal concerns identified in the self-administered survey.
May 19, 2009 - 3:20pm (Updated: May 19, 2009 - 3:31pm)
Study concluded that welfare recipients and applicants with chronically ill children face substantial barriers to employment, including high child health care use rates and missed work. The welfare reform reauthorization scheduled to occur later in 2002 should address
the implications of chronic child illness for parental employment.
CITATION:
Employment Barriers Among Welfare Recipients and Applicants with Chronically Ill Children. American Journal of Public Health. 2002; 92 (9): 1453-1457. LA Smith, D Romero, PR Wood, NS Wampler, W Chavkin & PH Wise.
February 18, 2009 - 1:38am
The National Center evaluates the health impacts of public policies outside of the traditional health domain, such as utility access and housing subsidies for medically ill low-income people. CHIAs offer an objective, evidence- and experience- based method through which to evaluate the implications of policy, regulations, and legislation for children's health and well-being.
May 19, 2009 - 12:11pm
ABSTRACT:
Urban children and families reported a significant burden of healthrelated social problems yet infrequent pediatric screening or referral for these problems. Of families who reported receiving referrals, a majority contacted the recommended agencies and found them helpful. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using a computer-based questionnaire to identify health-related social problems in a routine outpatient clinic setting.
CITATION:
Families’ Health Related Social Problems and Missed Referral Opportunities. Pediatrics. 2007; 119; e1332-e1341. Eric Fleegler, et. al.
April 15, 2010 - 10:27pm
To successfully partner with one another, lawyers and healthcare providers must first learn how the other profession works. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of working at an MLP.
This webinar is designed as a primer for MLP attorneys. It provides organizational charts for hospitals and health centers and an overview of where vulnerable people receive their healthcare. Panelists discuss key roles in the healthcare system, offer suggestions of training venues to target, and highlight key terminology.
Presenters:
- Megan Sandel, MD, MPH, Medical Director, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
- Ellen Lawton, Esq., Executive Director, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
- Bob Pettignano, MD, Director, Medical Affairs, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spaulding and Medical Director, HeLP
January 29, 2009 - 6:16pm
White paper on how medical-legal partnerships can utilize health care recovery dollars as a funding strategy.
May 19, 2009 - 3:08pm
ABSTRACT:
The United States is a highly mobile society, with family relocation rates double those of Great Britain and Germany. The objective of this study was to describe the impact of frequent family moves on reported rates of delay in growth or development, learning disorders, school failure and frequent behavioral problems in U.S. school-age children.
CITATION:
Impact of Family Relocation on Children's Growth, Development, School Function, and Behavior.
The Journal of the American Medical Association. September 15, 1993; 270(11). David Wood, MD, MPH, et. al.
May 19, 2009 - 2:31pm
In the effort to create effective policies and programs to address social disparities in health, allies outside the health sector are crucial. Letter to the editor highlights the inclusion of attorneys as part of the public health team.
CITATION:
It Takes Lawyers to Deliver Health Care. American Journal of Public Health. 2005; 95: 245 - 249. ME Northridge.
May 19, 2009 - 3:13pm
ABSTRACT:
This study examined the knowledge of and application for health-related welfare program provisions among beneficiaries with children who have chronic conditions. Welfare beneficiaries with children who have chronic conditions show limited knowledge and use of program provisions, placing them at risk for penalties or benefit termination.
CITATION:
Knowledge of Welfare Reform Program Provisions Among Families of Children with Chronic Conditions.
American Journal of Public Health. 2002; 92 (2):228-230. LA Smith, PH Wise, NS Wampler.
August 25, 2010 - 6:29pm
In July 2010, the Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act was introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Two identical bills were introduced calling for a federal demonstration project for MLP.
In this webinar, Ellen Lawton, NCMLP's Executive Director, and Kevin Kappel, Manager of Government Strategies for ML Strategies, share next steps for the bill and MLP Network outreach.
January 28, 2009 - 7:02pm
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership communications consultant Karen Schwartzman outlines strategies for utilizing the media and establishing good relationships with the press.
January 28, 2009 - 6:36pm
Sample job descriptions for a range of medical-legal partnership "medical champion" positions including:
- Local Medical Director
- Community Health Center Clinical Liaison
- Medical Director of Training and Education
- Nurse Champion
- Social Work Champion
Most partnerships begin with a Local Medical Director. It is recommended that a partnership site’s Medical Director has at least .10 FTE protected time dedicated to the partnership.
May 19, 2009 - 12:34pm (Updated: May 19, 2009 - 12:35pm)
Article offers overview and innovations of the medical-legal partnership model.
CITATION:
Medical-Legal Partnerships: From Surgery to Prevention? Management Information Exchange Journal. Spring 2007; 1-7. Ellen Lawton.
May 19, 2009 - 11:24am (Updated: May 19, 2009 - 11:25am)
Comment in The Lancet on medical-legal partnership.
Doctors, especially those who care for patients on low incomes, are frustrated that their patients' health is adversely affected by social determinants. For those patients with an acute or chronic illness, social determinants undercut the effectiveness of the burgeoning number of drugs and other treatments. Although this problem is usually considered a public-health issue, experience in the USA and abroad suggests a new way to transform the health-care system to address these social determinants.
CITATION:
Medical-Legal Partnerships: Transforming Healthcare. The Lancet. 8 November 2008; 372(9650): 1615-1617. Zuckerman, B, Sandel, M, Lawton, E, Morton, S.
February 17, 2009 - 11:38pm
Satisfaction is an important measure of quality of program activities and can be useful in making improvements to the delivery of services. Developed by the New England Regional Medical-Legal Network in 2005, this form may be used to gather feedback from clients following their involvement in the program.
December 9, 2009 - 5:31pm (Updated: January 13, 2010 - 11:30am)
This webinar examines the language currently in the House healthcare reform bill for a medical-legal partnership federal demonstration project. It is specifically designed for Ohio partnerships.
Presenter: Ellen Lawton, Esq., Executive Director, National Center for MLP
February 18, 2009 - 1:30am
The Systemic Advocacy Working Group compiled this grid of medical-legal partnership systemic innovations from sites nationwide as a resource for the MLP Network.
February 18, 2009 - 2:02am
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice article highlights medical-legal partnership as an intervention that improves health and reduces disparities. An excerpt:
The Medical-Legal Partnership model developed by the Boston Medical Center shows
promise for improving care and enhancing the management of disease...The addition of
lawyers to the medical team can promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to
the effective care and management of illness by screening patients and their families for
social problems that can affect their medical care, assisting in the resolution of specific
social problems and enhancing the effectiveness of advocacy by the entire healthcare
team.
Moving Upstream: How Interventions That Address the Social Determinant of Health Can Improve Health and Reduce Disparities. Journal of Public Health Management Practices. November 2008; 14(6) Supplement: S8-S17. David R. Williams, et. al.
April 19, 2010 - 1:17pm
In January 2009, the National Center launched a new website designed to encourage more interaction between MLP sites. The new website includes a comprehensive resource library and individual pages for every site in the Network.
This webinar walks members of the MLP Network through the new website, and specifically how to search for resources from other sites and how to upload their programs resources. It also covers how to make updates to member site pages, add news items and sign up for RSS feeds for news, resources and employment opportunities.
Presenter:
- Kate Marple, National Program Coordinator, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
April 2009
May 19, 2009 - 12:52pm
ABSTRACT:
The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University offers several specialized in-house legal clinics. This article focuses on the outreach services of the Elder Law and Consumer Protection Clinic and the Children’s Advocacy Clinic. These programs provide opportunities for law students to obtain practical experience in a thoughtful and reflective environment and engage the students in community outreach and public policy advocacy. This article reviews the development of the two clinical programs as vital components of an engaged university and further suggest how interdisciplinary collaboration helps to guide their growth.
CITATION:
Partners in Outreach and Advocacy: Interdisciplinary Opportunities in University-Based Legal Clinics
. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. 2006; 11(4): 163-174. Katherine C. Pearson, Lucy Johnston-Walsh.
