Www.medical-legalpartnership.org The problems are visible. The solutions are not

www.medical-legalpartnership.org

The problems are visible. The solutions are not.


Only 13% of Americans surveyed believe that

“lawyers contribute a lot to society.”

(Pew Research Study, July 2013).

Department of Health Policy


Three Sectors AddressSocial Determinants of Health in Silos

HEALTHCARE

treats illnesses caused or

exacerbated by SDOH.

LEGAL AIDensures access to

benefits & services, enforces laws that

keep people healthy.

PUBLIC HEALTH

tracks diseases on population level, addresses laws &

education aimed at prevention.

www.medical-legalpartnership.orgwww.medical-legalpartnership.org

Healthcare, public health & civil legal aid coordinating care through a

medical-legal partnership approachis our vision for a

culture of health.


Presenter NamePresenter Title

Date

Making the connection:Legal problems are health problems.

Common Legal Problem Social Determinant of Health

Families wrongfully denied food supports or housing subsidies

Lack of basic resources

Children living in housing with mold or rodents, in violation of housing laws

Physical environment

Seniors wrongfully denied long-term care coverage

Lack of access to insurance


MLPs help patients with I-HELP® issues


Individual patient legal interventions arepathways to finding the policy interventions

for improving population health.

The Medical-Legal Partnership Approach


Medical-legal partnership unlocks and stocks the pharmacy.

Most SDOH interventions assume resources exist and that there aren’t barriers to accessing them.


Stocking the housing pharmacy:An MLP patients-to-policy story

Unsafe housing brought more than a dozen children to the hospital. Health / legal

hotspotting led to the remodeling of several neighborhood buildings.

www.medical-legalpartnership.orgDepartment of Health Policy

PATIENTlevel intervention

CLINIClevel intervention

POPULATIONlevel intervention

TRAINING

Training

Attorneys trained healthcare providers how to screen at-risk patients for utility shut off and write protection letters.

Healthcare providers wrote letters protecting 193 families.

What happened when the heat went off?





TRAINING

New Energy Clinic

Attorneys opened new legal clinic at hospital to help families who healthcare providers referred for utility shutoff.

Attorneys helped families get heat and electricity turned back on.






TRAINING

Utility Letter in the EMR

Attorneys drafted form letter for patient EMR. Healthcare providers no longer had to draft from scratch.

Healthcare providers wrote 350% more letters helping 676 families. Saved clinic time.






TRAINING

Testimony Changed Utility Regulations

Attorney / healthcare provider testimony reduced need for chronic disease re-certification and allowed nurses to sign letters.

Fewer families faced utility shutoff, preventing problem.




Date135 Hospitals

127 Health Centers

127 Legal Aid Agencies

32 Medical Schools

46 Law Schools



Date

For more information:


NCMLP

National_MLP



Date

Legal aid tends to talk about problems.


Healthcare tends to talk about solutions.

Documents

Www.medical-legalpartnership.org The problems are visible. The solutions are not