Poverty, Health and Law

Not every illness has a biological remedy. Poverty, Health and Law presents health in the broader social context of people's lives, providing insights into the advancement of health through legal advocacy and interdisciplinary solutions to complex social problems.

Focusing on basic legal rights and their relation to health—income and employment, housing, education, legal status, and personal safety—the authors provide information and insight into how the law may be used as a tool to improve health and how health care providers and lawyers can work together to invoke more effective and preventive remedies for patients and clients.

As America prepares for major reform of its health care system, Poverty, Health and Law brings to the forefront the need to address the root causes of illness and poor health, particularly among vulnerable populations, by exploring remedies and innovations both within and outside of the health care system.

"[T]his book is a helpful resource for existing and emerging MLPs that is sure to inspire improved care for the poor." — World Medical & Health Policy

"This book is intended to be used in at least three ways: (1) as a teaching tool primarily for legal and medical educators; (2) as a guidebook for newer or contemplated MLP programs; and (3) as a resource and reference work for MLP practitioners. It succeeds in each of these categories. ...The chief pedagogical goal, whose attainment is likely to be aided immeasurably by this volume, is not to get physicians and attorneys to think alike, but rather to teach members of each profession how and why the other professional thinks as he or she does. ...Taking on an ambitious and provocative agenda, they have done an excellent job of preparing future and current medical and legal practitioners to work collaboratively on behalf of patients/clients who need their joint advocacy. Any reader interested in the ways in which law and medicine might intersect on behalf of consumers' well-being will benefit from attention to 'the' book on the current achievements and future promise of MLPs." — Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Marshall B. Kapp, J.D., M.P.H., Director of the Florida State University Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine & Law

"[This book] is an invaluable compendium of collective wisdom concerning the theory and practice of MLP—a gift. Those new to the field, whether practitioners, students, academics or bureaucrats, will scarcely believe their luck that such an impressive resource now exists; an exhaustive treatment of MLP from the foundations up. But Poverty, Health and Law isn't just an edited collection of pieces from legal and medical practitioners from around the States—it is a thoughtful and strategic treatment of the subject with a unified structure and consistent educative approach. Intended as both a teaching tool and a resource for those engaged or interested in MLP, the book boasts numerous valuable features...[w]hether you are beginning to explore MLP or wanting to supercharge an existing partnership or alliance, Poverty, Health and Law will prove to be an indispensible reference." — Peter Noble, Advocacy Health Alliances blog

"Poverty, Health and Law is a valuable resource to enhance understanding of the non-medical factors that affect health. Garnering the expertise of authors from healthcare and law, Poverty, Health and Law is intentionally written to be accessible to students across disciplines of medicine, law, social work and public health. It is a crucial step in advancing the medical-legal partnership model and will also serve as a catalyst to stimulate further research about addressing the social determinants of health." — David R. Williams, Ph.D., M.P.H., Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, Professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology, Harvard University

"This ground-breaking work shows how doctors and lawyers across the country can work together to protect the health of our most vulnerable populations. A comprehensive collection of compelling essays written by national experts, this volume is an invaluable teaching tool for the next generation of legal and health professionals to help guide and inspire such innovative interdisciplinary collaborations in the future. It is also a must-read for practitioners and policy-makers alike who want to understand how real health reform can happen at the grass-roots level." — Charity Scott, J.D., Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Law, Health & Society, Georgia State University College of Law

"Medical-legal partnerships unite the medical and legal professions in a common goal and create the ideal team to serve the healthcare and legal needs of vulnerable populations including children, cancer patients, senior citizens, and HIV/AIDS patients. Not only do they provide critical direct services to patients, they also promote systemic advocacy efforts that have an enormously positive impact on healthcare policies and practices. Poverty, Health and Law is an important guide that could not have been published at a more vital time." — Steven B. Scudder, J.D., Committee Counsel, ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service