Medical-Legal Partnership for Children

The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children at Tufts Medical Center is a collaboration of physicians, lawyers and social workers who work together to address the  non-medical factors that cause or exacerbate children’s healthcare issues.

The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) is directed by Robert D. Sege, MD, PhD. Division Chief, Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Tufts Medical Center and Marcia M. Boumil, JD, LL.M, Assistant Professor of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.

MISSION

MLPC introduces legal advocacy into the clinical setting to address the root causes of such childhood maladies as asthma, injuries, malnutrition and other medical issues that cannot be treated by medicine alone.

A child whose poor nutrition is due   to poverty, or whose asthma is exacerbated by mold spores in his apartment finds limited relief in the pediatrician’s office unless the underlying causes of illness are also addressed.

SERVICES

MLPC recognizes the inherent interdependence of medicine, social work and legal advocacy to promote the well-being of the family. MLPC addresses the daunting complexity of the social contexts of poor children’s lives and intervenes in a myriad of ways that compliments traditional medical services.

MLPC provides advocacy in the following areas:

·         Hunger and Nutrition

·         Family Violence

·         Family Court matters

·         Housing and Utilities

·         Special Education

Based upon a model of healthcare delivery now operational in more than 40 sites around the country, MLPC at Tufts Medical Center involves three core functions:

• Direct Services

Advocacy services are conducted in a trusted healthcare setting. Trouble-shooting and advocacy for vulnerable families in the areas set forth above.

• Training and Education

Healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses and social workers are trained to identify non-medical sources of poor child health and learn how to access available services.

• Systemic Advocacy