The legal system is difficult to navigate, especially for low-income families and those with limited English proficiency. Studies suggest that an overwhelming majority of the civil legal needs of low-income individuals go unmet. This gap in access to the justice system also perpetuates poor health outcomes.
Unresolved social needs such as denial of public benefits, substandard housing conditions, threats of eviction, disconnected utilities, and concerns for personal security often have a legal dimension. However, individuals don’t always recognize that these health-harming conditions may have a legal solution.
About the Healthcare Legal Partnership
Onsite Healthcare Legal Partnerships (HLPs) are widely recognized as effective tools to address these challenges. The concept originated in children’s hospitals, with now nearly 400 HLPs nationwide.
Children’s Minnesota Healthcare Legal Partnership supports two attorneys based on our St. Paul and Minneapolis hospital campuses. These dedicated lawyers collaborate with health care teams to identify, prevent and remedy health-harming factors that are rooted in legal problems.
How the healthcare legal partnership works
Maintaining a clinical presence onsite enables a “warm handoff” from health care professionals to the attorney, which increases the likelihood that patients receive legal services to address their situation. Depending on the families’ needs, the attorney provides a range of support from brief legal guidance to full representation in court. Patients and families are able to increase access to protections and resources that allow them to meet their basic needs — ultimately leading to improved health and overall well-being.
Going beyond symptoms and listening to the stories patients and families tell is critical to identifying solutions outside the traditional medical realm. Studies have shown that families who have received an HLP intervention are more likely to have up-to-date immunizations, participate in routine clinic visits, and are less likely to utilize the emergency
department.
Cases Served
Members of the health care team are trained to identify and refer for a variety of health-harming legal issues, including:
Housing issues
Substandard housing conditions, utility shut-offs, discrimination, eviction
Family law
Custody and guardianship, divorce, domestic violence
Access to benefits
Health coverage, disability, unemployment, MFIP (financial assistance), emergency assistance, SNAP (food stamps)
Education
Accommodations for children with special needs, adherence with Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Immigration
Visas and documentation
