Medical-legal partnership: Innovative collaboration in a new healthcare environment

Collaborative care models are rapidly emerging within our healthcare system in order to achieve the triple aim: better health, better healthcare and lower costs. The Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) model goes beyond traditional healthcare provider partnerships by integrating a legal services component to address patients' complex social and legal needs. By addressing harmful social determinants of health, MLPs are able to reduce barriers to care and improve overall well-being. In addition to providing direct legal services, MLPs transform healthcare systems and engage in systemic policy change.

Health Education and Legal Assistance Project: A Medical-Legal Partnership (HELP: MLP) is a collaboration between Crozer-Keystone Healthy Start and Nurse Family Partnership, and Widener University School of Law serving low-income residents in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Legal and social work staff collaborate to remedy a variety of issues faced by clients including housing, public benefits, debt collection issues and domestic violence. Since its inception in 2009, HELP: MLP has resolved over 220 legal issues, conducted more than 15 trainings for health care and social work providers and has educated more than 25 students from multiple disciplines.

HELP: MLP partnered with public health faculty from Thomas Jefferson University to collect quantitative and qualitative data assessing the project's feasibility and impact on patient health, stress, and self-efficacy. Additionally, data was collected from HELP: MLP and social work staff to assess changes in advocacy capacity, knowledge and practice. Results show that HELP: MLP services have been successful in reducing client stress and increasing provider knowledge and advocacy capacity.