National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership

The nation's hospitals are struggling to care for low-income patients. Proposed solutions usually involve more money or more doctors. But some medical centers are trying a different approach -- more lawyers...

A study released today which surveyed low-income families at Boston Medical Center’s Emergency Department indicates that they do not turn to lawyers for help in addressing their unmet basic needs, even though these problems often have legal remedies. Medical experts agree that these same unmet basic needs – including access to stable housing, sufficient heat and electricity, food and education – may adversely impact health. While families were unlikely to reach out for legal services, the study confirmed what many pediatricians know: doctors are often the first to hear about risk factors that may have legal remedies, like hunger and homelessness.

MLPC is thrilled to announce the launch of its National Medical Advisory Board, which met for the first time at the National Summit! Sixteen Board Members and six Assistant National Medical Directors were recruited from partnerships nationwide for their commitment to advocating for vulnerable populations. Board members represent pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, oncology and geriatrics...

MLPC office hours still available! This is a great opportunity to discuss your partnership’s development and ask program-specific questions. Office hours are available in 30 minute timeslots on March 12 from 10am-3:30pm...

LegalHealth in NYC has been awarded $190,000 from the New York State Health Foundation and the Langeloth Foundation to support medical-legal collaborations for underserved adults with serious and chronic illness. Congratulations!

W.K. Kellogg Foundation Program Director reflects on importance of medical-legal partnership...

2008 Medical-Legal Partnership Site Survey coming! Sites will be e-mailed the survey link at the beginning of February and have 2 weeks to complete it. Data from the survey will be presented at the summit in March. Look for spectacular prizes and incentives for timely completion!

Send us your resources! We continue to collect medical-legal partnership educational presentations and training tools. Many partnership sites submitted resources prior to the Toronto MLP Summit in May 2007; please review this catalog of current resources...

The Board of Governors of the Kentucky Bar Association adopted a resolution in support of a medical-legal collaborative for Kentucky Children...

Congratulations to the Community Advocacy Program in Cleveland, OH, a featured grantee of the Local Initiatives Funding Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation! Watch “Beyond Medicine: Removing Legal Barriers to Health” to learn more about CAP...

Liz Tobin Tyler, Director of Public Service and Community Partnerships at Roger Williams University, was a featured presenter on “Health Care and Prevention: Professionals Working Together” at the 30th International Congress of Mental Health. Liz and Dr. Patricia Flanagan co-teach a joint course, “Poverty, Health and Law: The Medical-Legal Collaborative” for RWU law students and Brown medical students.

Seattle Children’s Hospital’s medical-legal partnership developed and is piloting an IRB approved Family Needs Survey to assess patient-families’ legal needs...

CDC journal includes articles on social determinants of health, the link between school dropout and public health and the connection between poverty and health...

The Health, Education and Legal Support Program (HEALS) of Asheville, NC, is a partnership of Mission Hospitals, Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Women’s Health Center and Pisgah Legal Services. Established in July 2006, HEALS is led by legal champion Jim Barrett, JD, HEALS lead attorney Mae Creadick, JD, and medical champion Cynthia Brown, MD, FAAP. It offers direct legal services in public benefits, family law and domestic violence prevention, special education, housing and immigration to patients in the rural setting of mountainous, western NC. In its first year, HEALS handled more than 100 cases and trained more than 640 front-line providers including social workers, discharge planners and hospital interpreters and is developing pre- and post-training surveys. It is engaged in systemic advocacy to improve housing policies of local governments to increase housing affordability and promote tenants’ rights in public housing. Funding sources include Mission Hospitals Foundation, the Community Foundation of WNC, Pisgah Legal Services, North Carolina IOLTA, private foundations, and the state of North Carolina. A second HEALS attorney is slated to start work next week.

David Freudberg’s radio documentary series “Barely Getting By: Stories of America’s Working Poor” chronicles the needs and experiences of fulltime, low-wage workers throughout the United States, and includes insights from researchers and policy experts about how the growing number of working poor Americans affects the rest of society. Part I and II include interviews with two MLPC families. Please visit our website for local listings.

The American Bar Association passed a resolution in support of medical-legal partnership at its annual meeting last week! Initiated by the Health Law Section and co-sponsored by the Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants; Commission on Domestic Violence; Special Committee on Bioethics and the Law; and the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, the resolution praises medical-legal partnerships for their holistic approach to health and advancement of preventive law. Click here for full report. Special thanks to Randye Retkin at LegalHealth of New York City and Charity Scott at Health Law Partnership in Atlanta for their efforts, and to Mike Pates, Shelly Hayes and the Health Law Section leadership for their commitment to medical-legal partnership.

Diane Pappas, MD, Medical Director of Child Health Advocacy Program in Charlottesville, VA, was on ABC news discussing SCHIP!

The Montana Family Advocacy Program of Billings, MT is a partnership of Deering Community Health Center (DCHC) and Montana Legal Services. Established in June 2004, MFAP is led by legal champion Deborah Anspach and medical champion Jim Guyer. Situated in family medicine, it offers direct services in housing, family law, public benefits, and education, and regular trainings for front-line providers. MFAP is a leader in program implementation in the rural setting. With a daily presence at DCHC 20 hrs/week, it has successfully engaged a large network of pro bono partners in its practice, and has modeled the incorporation of AmeriCorps volunteers into core medical-legal partnership program activities. In 2003, MFAP conducted a health provider and family needs assessment which revealed that 63% of respondents had legal needs yet they were unaware that legal services might help them resolve their problems. Funding streams include private and health care foundations. MFAP is also actively engaged with the Yellowstone City County Health Department and is exploring funds to support that effort.

MLPC has won the 2007 American Hospital Association’s NOVA Award for contributions to community health!

Many thanks to all who participated in MLPC's second annual summit on May 4th in Toronto and contributed to its success. Our working groups met for the first time and over the next 9-12 months will pursue a range of activities to contribute to the MLPC network. Stay tuned! Check out our website to review select Summit presentations, and be patient with our website upgrade over the summer.