Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Mark Hansen, MPH and Ellen Lawton, JD. Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, 91 East Concord Street, MAT 6113, Boston, MA 02118, 857-212-1691, mark.hansen@bmc.org

Health care access disparities between rich and poor are well-documented. However, even for those low-income families who are able to secure medical services, there exist social and environmental factors that may limit the effectiveness of these services in achieving optimal health outcomes. A traditional medical approach to an issue such as asthma, for example, may fall short if not accompanied by efforts to ensure a home environment free of triggers. Coordinated approaches, which combine medical care of the highest quality with strategies to reduce non-medical barriers to wellness may have the greatest potential to eliminate health disparities.

"Medical-legal collaborations" or "family advocacy programs" represent one such coordinated approach. These programs rely on front-line medical staff--mostly primary care doctors and nurses--to identify potential legal needs experienced by the families of pediatric patients. Once needs are identified, medical staff either advocate on behalf of or refer families to a program attorney for further help. Over thirty of these programs are currently in operation, with many variations in setting and organization. In 2006, the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center established the Medical Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) to support the work of hospital- and clinic-based advocacy programs around the country. The MLPC provides technical assistance and funding support to individual sites and engages in ongoing research activities regarding the legal needs of low-income families and the effectiveness of advocacy programs.

This presentation introduces the work of medical-legal collaborations and the Medical Legal Partnership for Children.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the work of medical-legal collaborations.
• Identify hospitals or health centers in her/his own region with existing medical-legal partnership programs.
• Describe current efforts in evaluation of this type of program.
• Identify the steps involved in establishing a program.
• Identify the resources available for new and existing programs through the Medical Legal Partnership for Children at Boston Medical Center.

Keywords: Advocacy, Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation