Eos Grantees in the News
Boston Nonprofit Spins Off National Model for Care
The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, an Eos-funded nonprofit that links lawyers and doctors to advocate for patients at Boston Medical Center and its six affiliated health centers, has changed its name to The Medical-Legal Partnership/Boston after spinning off its national functions to create the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership. MLP/Boston also plans to expand its assistance outside of pediatrics to aid other vulnerable patients, including senior citizens, pregnant women, former inmates, and those with cancer.
Founded in 1993 by Boston Medical Center Pediatrics Chief Barry Zuckerman and attorney Joshua Greenberg, the nonprofit sought to help sick children whose illnesses were caused or exacerbated by issues like moldy apartments, hunger, and lack of heat—problems that medicine on its own couldn’t solve, but which legal expertise might.
In 2006, MLPC created a National Center to spread best practices for medical-legal collaboration to partner sites across the country. Today, the newly-independent National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership boasts partnerships at over 160 hospitals and health centers nationwide, and in 2008 served nearly 10,500 individuals and families, trained over 17,000 health care and legal staff, and utilized the services of more than 400 pro bono attorneys.
With its new structure, MLP/Boston will deepen its ability to serve local patients through the medical-legal model, and the National Center will further spread best practices across the country.
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