The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland launched the Community Advocacy Program (CAP) to improve the health of children by establishing a collaborative relationship with Metro Health Medical Center, a hospital for low-income families. CAP enables doctors to refer a patient to a legal aid attorney who can remove legal barriers which contribute to long-term health problems for children. Modeled off of the Family Advocacy Program at the Boston Medical Center, a Skadden Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland established the program in 2002 in collaboration with the Metro Health Medical Center.
A CAP attorney works at a hospital two days a week working directly with pediatricians on health issues and legal approaches that will positively affect health outcomes for children. The CAP attorney conducts intake onsite at the hospital and either handles the case herself or refers the case to the appropriate unit at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. When the doctor identifies an issue that a legal aid attorney can assist in resolving, the doctor will refer the patient to the CAP attorney for assistance. The most frequently encountered issues relate to special education and public benefits however housing, family law, and domestic violence issues also encountered frequently. The CAP is in the process of expanding the project by placing attorneys in smaller outpatient hospitals located in city neighborhoods throughout Cleveland. In doing so, CAP intends to reach new populations by working with gerontologists on elder law issues and Spanish speaking doctors to reach clients in the Hispanic community. The Community Advocacy Program is currently comprised of two full-time attorneys however it will expand to four attorneys over the next few years.
The partnership between the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and Metro Health also allows both organizations to pursue creative funding opportunities because of the size of Metro Health. The Director of Development at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and the development department at Metro Health meet periodically to explore new opportunities for grants.
Contact Information:
Melanie Shakarian Legal Aid Society of Cleveland 1223 W. Sixth Cleveland, OH 44113 Phone: (216) 687-1900 Fax: (216) 687-0779 melanie.shakarian@lasclev.org
LSC:
America's Partner for Equal Justice 