Physicians, attorneys, nurses, social workers, public health officials

Medical-Legal Partnership: Transforming Healthcare Through Preventive Law is a two-day conference designed to examine the medical-legal partnership model as a vehicle to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable people - in pediatrics and beyond. The MLP summit brings together partnership staff from around the country to share key developments in medical-legal partnership over the last year including systemic advancements such as professional resolutions and the creation of a national support center at the American Bar Association. Partnership leaders will also share innovations and best practices in service delivery and training to help existing and developing partnerships strengthen their programs.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Assess their program’s priorities, strengths, and challenges
• Select appropriate evaluation strategies for their program
• Identify opportunities to increase capacity and strengthen service at their program

Megan Sandel, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Boston University School of Medicine

Boston University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Boston University School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 14 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Attorneys seeking CLE credit should contact their individual state bar associations. Illinois attorneys should contact the CME office at (617) 638-4605.

This continuing medical education activity has been reviewed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is acceptable for a maximum of 12.25 AAP credits. These credits can be applied toward the AAP CME/CPD Award available to Fellows and Candidate Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Medical-legal partnership aims to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals, children and families by integrating legal services into the medical setting. MLPs address social determinants of health in order to help people meet their basic needs.

Lawyers and front-line health care providers – doctors, nurses and social workers – are now partnered at over 160 hospitals and health centers nationwide, serving children, the elderly, patients with cancer, pregnant women, the formerly incarcerated reentry community and other vulnerable populations. The American Bar Association and American Academy of Pediatrics have passed resolutions in support of medical-legal partnership and the ABA is developing an in-house national support center to further extend the reach of this model by engaging the private bar.

The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children was founded in 1993 by Dr. Barry Zuckerman as a local program serving patient-families at Boston Medical Center and affiliated health centers. In April 2006, MLPC launched its National Center to support the expansion, advancement, and integration of the medical-legal partnership model by providing technical assistance to partnership sites, facilitating the MLP Network, and coordinating national research and policy activities related to preventive law, health disparities, and the social determinants of health.

In January 2009, MLPC’s National Center will officially become the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) signaling both an expanded clinical focus to serve all vulnerable populations and a bifurcation of Boston’s local and national offices. As part of this transition, we will establish the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, which will carry the designation of MLP Network Founding Site. This shift is in direct response to the pull we’ve felt over the last two years between our two important, yet distinct missions: supporting national expansion, and engaging directly in medical-legal partnership activities (including training, legal assistance, and systemic advocacy) on behalf of a growing number of low-income patients treated at Boston Medical Center and affiliated community health centers. We believe the bifurcation will help support both the national MLP Network and MLP | Boston’s local activities more effectively.

About the “C” in MLPC: While the National Center was created with a primary focus toward serving children and families, we’ve increasingly provided technical assistance to partnerships outside of pediatrics – helping to cultivate medical-legal partnership in settings that serve vulnerable adults, families and children. Our new name is meant to broaden the focus, application and Network to include all vulnerable populations. Our shortened acronym reflects that medical-legal partnership is an intervention that works not only in pediatrics, but in all clinical and disease populations.