The health of children and adults is affected not only by biology and behavior, but also by socio-economic factors, including unmet legal needs, such as housing problems, utility arrearage, etc., which increase the risks for poor health and potential hospitalizations. Meanwhile, the patient-centered medical home anticipates a collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach for the purposes of improving and better integrating patient care in the community.
Consistent with this team approach to care of the whole person in the community context, physicians across the country are engaging with law firms and law schools to create medicals-legal partnerships. These partnerships bring attorneys into the clinical setting to help vulnerable patients cope with legal dimensions of disease.
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnerships (NCMLP) lists 81 medical-legal partnerships (2-page PDF file; About PDFs) that are currently serving twice that number of health care facilities across the country, including partnerships in family medicine contexts. If you are interested in exploring the development of a medical-legal partnership in your area, the NCMLP offers resources.
The American Bar Association (ABA) also has resources related to medical-legal partnerships. You can find those through the ABA's Medical-Legal Partnership Pro Bono Support project.
Medical-Legal Partnerships
