MLP Connection News from the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic at the University of Kansas School of Law | Fall 2012
message from the director What is ‘I-HELP,’ anyway? page 2 Client stories: the risk of eviction; escaping abuse; hoping for the best, planning for the worst. page 3 Looking ahead: spring semester 2013. page 4
In 2012, the Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Clinic accepted 481 legal referrals on behalf of the low-income patients of its medical partners! Students played a direct role in the representation provided in all of these cases – conducting intake interviews, developing case strategies, conducting legal research, preparing legal documents, and providing representation in administrative and court hearings. Inside, we’ve included just a few of the incredible stories of the patients who received legal assistance during the fall semester. I’m sure you will be as inspired as I was with the clinic students’ work and our clients’ amazing strength and resiliency. We would like to thank our wonderful
medical partners – the Department of Family Medicine at KU Medical Center, the Health Care Access Clinic, JayDoc Free Clinic, and Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care. In particular, we would like to thank the Department of Family Medicine for its generous donation of space, allowing the MLP Clinic to move from a two-room clinic to a spacious four-office suite equipped with a reception area (and
message from the director continued from page 1 our very own restroom!). We are now located in Office G060 of the Delp Pavilion at the KU Medical Center. We love visitors, so please stop by to see us if you are on campus! As always, we are appreciative of the generous contributions of the Sunflower Foundation, which supports our attorney staff, and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, which supports our part-time paralegal. Their support has allowed the MLP Clinic to touch the lives of many patients, collaborate with a wide range of medical providers to combat the social determinants of health, and provide a real-life example to our law students of the power of the law. Thank you for your interest in the MLP Clinic, and please contact me if you would like more information about our work.
KATIE CRONIN Clinical Associate Professor Director, Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic kcronin@ku.edu
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WHAT IS ‘I-HELP,’ ANYWAY? I-HELP is an acronym commonly used in medical-legal partnerships to describe the scope of legal services that have been found to have the greatest impact on the health of patients. In our MLP Clinic, I-HELP stands for: l l l l l
Income support and insurance Housing and utilities Education and employment Legal status Personal and family stability
Income support and insurance cases involve the appeal of wrongful denials of Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid and other services that can enhance household income and access to health care. Housing cases involve advocacy for tenants living in poor rental conditions, appealing denials and terminations of public and Section 8 housing, helping to prevent evictions, and advocating for clients around utilities issues. Education cases involve Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) advocacy for Individualized Education Programs, while employment matters involve denials of unemployment compensation or use
The clinic also provides advocacy for victims of domestic violence in abuse and child custody and divorce proceedings. of Family Medical Leave Act time in the course of an illness. The MLP Clinic provides representation in immigration matters to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The clinic also provides advocacy for victims of domestic violence in abuse and child custody and divorce proceedings. Finally, a common concern for patients and their families, and therefore a large percentage of the MLP Clinic’s caseload, involves end-of-life planning for elderly and terminally ill patients in the form of wills, advance directives (living wills and powers of attorney), and guardianship proceedings.
MLP CONNECTION | KU LAW | FALL 2012
MLP clinic client stories the risk of eviction “Grace1” was referred to the MLP Clinic by her treating physician at KUMC. She suffers from cognitive impairment and a degenerative disease that causes her to have tumors throughout her body. When Grace received an eviction notice from public housing, she didn’t know what to do. Without public housing, she was in significant danger of becoming homeless – a terrifying possibility for anyone, but especially for someone with her health concerns.
escaping abuse For years, “Lourdes” suffered from physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, and the violence continued to escalate. After finally separating from her spouse, Lourdes’ husband raped her in front of her three young children and then physically dragged her from her home. This last act of violence prompted the client to seek help from the police, and with their encouragement, she was treated for injuries resulting from the rape at the University of Kansas Hospital. Kansas Legal Services assisted the client in obtaining a divorce, and now the MLP Clinic is helping Lourdes to apply for a U-Visa, a temporary visa available to victims of severe crimes such as domestic violence. To apply for a U-Visa, applicants must obtain a certification from local law enforcement verifying that they have been helpful in the investigation CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
MLP CONNECTION | KU LAW | FALL 2012
Luckily, thanks to her doctor’s referral, the MLP Clinic investigated the facts and researched the law surrounding her case and found that there was insufficient evidence to support an eviction. They attended her eviction hearing and successfully argued her case. The client’s eviction was rescinded, and she was able to keep her public housing unit. Grace was grateful to spend Christmas in her home of 14 years. 1
Names have been changed to protect client privacy.
hoping for the best, preparing for the worst “Lydia” is only in her late 20s, but she recently suffered a stroke. She also suffers from a degenerative autoimmune condition that results in debilitating symptoms similar to those of both multiple sclerosis and lupus. She was referred to the MLP Clinic by Amy Hester, the inpatient social worker for the Department of Family Medicine, during a recent stay at the University of Kansas Hospital. Lydia is a single mother with a young daughter, and she was concerned for her daughter’s future given her health prognosis. The client sought the assistance of the MLP Clinic to draft end-of-life documents, including a last will, health care power of attorney, and general durable power of attorney. The MLP Clinic prepared and executed the documents for the client. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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client stories escaping abuse continued from page 3 or prosecution of the crime perpetrated against them. This fall, one of the MLP Clinic’s law students sought U-Visa certification in Lourdes’ case from the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. Not only did they agree to provide the certification, the head of the department said he was so impressed by the MLP model and the effort put into the certification request that he is going to give the MLP Clinic a presumption of certification on all future applications. The MLP Clinic is finalizing and preparing to submit Lourdes’ U-Visa application now. If it is approved, she and her children will be eligible for legal immigrant status and work authorization, allowing Lourdes the ability to support her family so that she can remain independent from her abuser.
hoping for the best, preparing for the worst continued from page 3 Lydia is relieved to know that if her health continues to deteriorate, caring individuals in her life will have the authority to make health care and financial decisions on her behalf and on behalf of her daughter. As one of the law students noted this fall, “When a client decides to use our clinic for an end-of-life issue, it is often because they are facing health problems that are, or could easily be, terminal. In a very short time frame, our clinic can draw up the necessary documents to decide the future course of a client’s health care. The real control over health care decisions is extremely valuable, but the more intangible control our clients gain by eliminating the stress of the unknown is equally important. With all of the legal areas we work in, reducing stress is one of the most significant, and yet probably unrecognized, ways legal work can impact health.”
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LOOKING AHEAD spring semester 2013 This spring, the MLP Clinic students will be participating in the Kansas Conference on Slavery and Human Trafficking, where they will engage in an advocacy working group to discuss solutions to this problem.
human trafficking is something that occurs here in the United States, and I believe if more people were aware of its prevalence here in the United States, the occurrence of human trafficking could be prevented.”
In preparation for this conference, one MLP Clinic student noted, “When I hear people talk about human trafficking issues, it is easy to think that it is something that only happens in third-world countries. However,
The upcoming semester will focus on policy and advocacy work that the MLP Clinic can do to identify and assist victims of human trafficking and to help prevent the practice in the future.
spring events jan 31 - feb 1
feb 26
Kansas Conference on Slavery and Human Trafficking
Law School Clinic Information Session 12:30-1:20, 104 Green Hall
feb 7
april 11 - 12
MLP Clinic Information Session 12:30-1:30, 107 Green Hall
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership Annual Summit, Bethesda, Maryland
MLP CONNECTION | KU LAW | FALL 2012