Medical-Legal Partnerships

According to the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, there are currently 50,000,000 Americans who face health-harming legal needs which disproportionately affect low-income families, children, the elderly, and people of color. 

Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLP) are valuable collaborations between the medical and legal communities. Under the MLP model, a case begins when a medical practitioner believes that a patient’s medical issues may be improved or resolved by a legal intervention. When the medical provider sends patients to CLA, our MLP staff investigates the cases and refers them to a CLA attorney or a volunteer lawyer. Our MLP staff also trains medical providers to spot issues affecting their patients’ health which can be solved by our legal advocacy.

Community Legal Aid now operates three MLPs:

• UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester: Since the partnership began in 2015, the UMass MLP has assisted hundreds of pediatric and adult patients with legal needs related to special education, public benefits, housing and guardianship. Thanks to this program, UMass has seen a 40% reduction in its cost of treating patients.
• Commonwealth Care Alliance, Springfield: Beginning April 4, 2022, a Staff Attorney will hold office hours one day a week at the CCA’s Springfield clinic to meet with CCA Members and their family/caregivers and conduct screening interviews. To magnify the impact, Community Legal Aid will recruit, train, and supervise private pro bono (volunteer) attorneys to assist clients.
• Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), Northampton: Thanks to a three-year grant from the United Way of Hampshire County, CLA works with the Northampton VAMC to address the unmet health-harming needs of veterans in the Hampshire County area, which may include discharge status upgrades, housing, healthcare and benefits.

Check out this great video of some of the clients who have been helped thanks to our MLP collaboration with UMass Memorial Health Care.