400+ People Gathered in National Harbor, Maryland, for NCMLP’s Whole Person. Whole Team. Whole Communities. Summit.

Earlier this month, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) hosted the Whole Person. Whole Team. Whole Communities. Summit in National Harbor, Maryland. The conference was headlined by Bethany Johnson-Javois, CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the physician, scientist, and activist who exposed the Flint water crisis.

The gathering, which was the 13th medical-legal partnership summit, explored the ways in which laws and policies affect the physical, emotional, and mental health of individuals, hasten health care crises among the most vulnerable, and preserve health inequities that keep whole communities from thriving. More than 400 advocates, allied health professionals, consumers, lawyers, mental health professionals, nurses, physicians, public health professionals, social workers, and students from across the country attended. As part of the summit, NCMLP presented its annual MLP awards to leaders in the field.

Attendees at the 2019 MLP Summit welcome reception.

Attendees at the 2019 MLP Summit welcome reception.

Attendees at the 2019 MLP Summit welcome reception.

Attendees at the 2019 MLP Summit welcome reception.

Attendees at the 2019 MLP Summit welcome reception.

Keynote speaker Bethany Johnson-Javois, CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network.

Keynote speaker Bethany Johnson-Javois, CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network.

Attendees listen in on a workshop session at the 2019 MLP Summit

Workshop speaker at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Attendees listen in on a workshop session at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Cindy Mann, Partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in conversation with Karen Dale, Market President / CEO at AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia.

Joel Teitelbaum (NCMLP), Cindy Mann (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), Ellen Lawton (NCMLP), Karen Dale (AmeriHealth Caritas D.C.), and Bethany Hamilton (NCMLP Advisory Council Member).

Attendees viewing research posters at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Attendees discussing research posters at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Attendees discussing research posters at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Attendees gather in the ballroom at the 2019 MLP Summit to hear Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha.

Kate Marple, NCMLP’s Director of Communications, interviews Dr. Monna Hanna-Attisha.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha — the physician, scientist, and activist who exposed the Flint water crisis — speaks at the 2019 MLP Summit.

Emily Benfer, Joel Teitelbaum (NCMLP), Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha physician, scientist, and activist), Kate Marple (NCMLP), and Ellen Lawton (NCMLP).

Photo credit for all photos: LNJ Designs / lnjdesignsphoto.com

Agenda

The 2019 was organized into three tracks.

WHOLE PERSON.

Special education. Supportive decision-making. Accessing gender affirming care. Immigration status. The transition from childhood to adulthood. Workshops in this track each took a deep dive into one health-harming social factor and its possible health effects, or into the needs of one at-risk population. They traced a health care organization’s multidisciplinary response to that issue, including the role of legal services in addressing it.

WHOLE TEAM.

Leveraging the Electronic Health Record. Data collection. Strengths-based social needs screening. This track explored the clinical environment and ways that integrating legal advocacy into a multidisciplinary health care team improves performance. Topics related to workforce capacity, data exchange, workflow, and quality improvement.

WHOLE COMMUNITIES.

Advocacy to end immigration detention. Changes to federal housing policies around lead. Legislative change to expand medical coverage. Organizing to address environmental and redevelopment policies. Sessions in this track focused on ways that community stakeholders of all kinds work together to proactively change legislative, regulatory, and administrative policies related to health and well-being. Workshops explored both grassroots approaches to advocating for change in communities as well as efforts driven by health care institutions and payors.

Sponsors

The 2019 Summit was possible with generous support from:

• The Bob Woodruff Foundation

• Children’s Law Center

• Episcopal Health Foundation

• The Kresge Foundation

• Health Foundation of South Florida

• RCHN Community Health Foundation

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

• Whitman-Walker Health

Previous NCMLP Summits

Between 2006 - 2019, the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership hosted 13 Summits to bring together the medical-legal partnership field.

Whole Person. Whole Team. Whole Communities.
13th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
September 19-20, 2019
National Harbor, Maryland

*No Summit in 2018. 

Integrating Health and Legal Services to Transform Care Delivery
12th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
April 5-7, 2017
National Harbor, Maryland

Health is a Shared Value
11th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
April 6-8, 2016
Indianapolis, Indiana 

Applying the Medical-Legal Partnership Approach to Population Health
10th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
April 8-10, 2015
McLean, Virginia

Medical-Legal Partnership in the Era of Health Reform
9th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
April 10-11, 2014
Seattle, WA

8th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
April 11-12, 2013
Bethesda, MD 

7th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
March 26-27, 2012
San Antonio, TX

6th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
March 24-25, 2011
Baltimore, MD

5th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
March 25-26, 2010
Arlington, VA

4th Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
March 26-27, 2009
Cleveland, OH

3rd Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
*First standalone meeting
March 12-13, 2008
Kansas City, MO

2nd Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
*Part of the annual Academy of Pediatrics meeting
May 4, 2007
Toronto, ON

1st Medical-Legal Partnership Summit
*Part of the annual Academy of Pediatrics meeting
April 28, 2006
San Francisco, CA