FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 19, 2018
For more information contact: Alyson Robbins, Manager of Outreach and Development,
Legal Services of South Central Michigan, arobbins@lsscm.org
LSSCM receives grants from the Jackson Community Foundation to pilot a new Medical Legal Partnership with the Center for Family Health and to support ongoing programs
JACKSON, MI -- Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) has received a $20,000 grant from the Jackson Community Foundation to pilot an innovative program with the Center for Family Health to provide legal representation as part of the process of promoting good health.
The grant from the Community Needs Endowment Fund at Jackson Community Foundation will create one of the first Medical Legal Partnerships in Michigan. An LSSCM attorney will be on-site at the Center for Family Health to address the health-harming civil legal needs of patients.
New research finds that health can no longer be explained by genetics and personal choice alone, but includes social determinants such as access to basic needs, a healthy environment, and quality education and employment.
For example, a child and his mother visit the local health center for treatment to address the child’s chronic asthma. The child receives excellent medical care, but returns to his home, a substandard apartment with significant mold infestation. His asthma does not improve. The mother approaches her landlord, but the landlord does not remedy the mold problem. In this situation, the child’s medical condition is unlikely to improve unless his housing conditions improve. The child needs more help than health care providers and caseworkers alone can provide; he also needs a lawyer.
According to the National Center for Medical Legal Partnerships in Washington, D.C., medical partnerships with legal professionals play a critical role in addressing the social determinants of health and reversing health inequality.
“Addressing the social determinants of health makes sense not only from a medical perspective but as a tool to help change the trajectory of lives,” said Molly Kaser, CEO of the Center for Family Health.
LSSCM is also thrilled to receive a $7,500 grant from the Samuel Higby & Margaret H. Camp Fund, a component fund of the Jackson Community Foundation. LSSCM will use the grant to support its ongoing programs, working to increase the financial independence and self-sufficiency of individuals and families in Jackson through increased access to the legal system.
The Center for Family Health provides primary medical care and dental services in Jackson County. It is a patient-centered medical home that never turns patients away due to inability to pay. Visit online at www.centerforfamilyhealth.org
Legal Services of South Central Michigan provides free civil legal assistance to low-income persons with an emphasis on homelessness prevention, domestic violence prevention, and assistance in accessing health care, food, and needs-based income programs. LSSCM has several locations across the state, with an office in Jackson serving Jackson and Hillsdale counties. LSSCM is a division of the Michigan Advocacy Program. www.lsscm.org www.miadvocacy.org
The Jackson Community Foundation is dedicated to their Mission: We connect people and resources to causes that strengthen and build our community. For Jackson. For good. For ever. To learn more about the Foundation or how to establish an endowment in your name, go to www.jacksoncf.org.