Boston Medical Center is launching a major expansion of a program that uses lawyers to tackle legal issues that eventually lead to health problems for many low-income Americans. The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children expects to do business in all fifty states, linking doctors who suspect patients may be experiencing problems with attorneys willing to take action.
The program has won praise in the Boston area already, winning endorsements from prominent physicians and hospitals. In-house attorneys provide patient advocacy services in cases involving legal questions that could lead to illness. Attorneys have filed suit against landlords for failing to make repairs or heat apartment units. Others have helped participants file immigration paperwork and helped patients deal with insurance disputes. The Medical-Legal Partnership is backed by $2.7 million in grant money. The group plans to puts patients in touch with a national network of law-firms willing to do pro bono work.
- see this article from Boston.com