Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Jun. 9, 2011
MBA Pro Bono Prescription launched to help low-income, medically vulnerable Massachusetts residents
Innovative program is collaboration between the MBA and the Medical-Legal Partnership Massachusetts network
The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Medical-Legal
Partnership Massachusetts network have joined forces to create a
new pro bono program, the MBA Pro Bono Prescription, a pioneering
initiative that brings together volunteer attorneys and medical
professionals to promote the health and well-being of low-income
patients through legal advocacy.
The MBA's House of Delegates, unanimously passed a resolution in
January endorsing MLPs, which laid the ground for creating this
partnership. The MBA's support follows approval from the American
Medical Association, which passed a similar resolution aimed at the
medical profession in June 2010. The American Bar Association
passed a resolution endorsing the expansion of medical-legal
partnerships throughout the legal profession four years ago.
The MBA Pro Bono Prescription will support patients by providing
direct legal services to them - services triggered by referrals
from health care teams to the local MLP site. Each local MLP site,
most often housed with a local or regional legal services
organization, will serve as the connector between the health care
team, the volunteer attorney, and the patient.
To find out more about the FREE
program, click
here.
Attorneys
can learn more at this program's first open house from 5-7
p.m. on June 21, hosted by Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie
& Lougee LLP in Worcester and co-sponsored by the MBA, Family
Advocates of Central Massachusetts, and Medical-Legal Partnership |
Boston, the founding site of the national MLP Network.
Click
here to R.S.V.P.