Yale New Haven Hospital’s Medical-Legal Partnership Project Awarded by CHA and DPH

CHA and DPH have awarded Yale New Haven Hospital the 2024 Connecticut’s Hospital Community Service Award in recognition of their Medical-Legal Partnership Project (MLPP). CHA and DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, presented the award jointly at the 2024 CHA Annual Meeting.

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) started the Medical-Legal Partnership Project (MLPP) as an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Center for Children’s Advocacy (CCA) and Yale New Haven Hospital in 2013.  Since then, it has expanded to include several other MLPs, done in partnership with Yale School of Medicine and the Yale Law School.  The mission of the YNHH-CAA MLPP is to address the health inequities borne by vulnerable children and youth, exacerbated by race and ethnicity, to improve health outcomes through interdisciplinary collaboration in the healthcare setting.

“Yale New Haven Hospital is very proud to receive this award that acknowledges and celebrates our commitment to supporting our community,” said Katherine Heilpern, president, Yale New Haven Hospital.  “Since 2013, our Medical-Legal Partnership Project has successfully addressed legal needs that impact health in housing, educational entitlements, disability rights and public benefits, and in so doing has improved health outcomes of more than 4000 individuals in the communities we are privileged to serve.”

“The State of Connecticut is committed to eliminating health inequities and ensuring that all residents—especially our children—have the opportunity to achieve optimal health,” said Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani.  “When a child is suffering from a medical ailment, it is essential that underlying social determinants of health are addressed.  The Yale New Haven Hospital Medical-Legal Partnership Project helps families avoid eviction from their home or ensure home remediation to provide for the optimal living conditions in which a child can thrive.  Without stable housing, few medical interventions can be successful.  This partnership between physicians and lawyers gives struggling families a fighting chance.”

“CHA is honored to be joined by DPH in presenting this award in recognition of Yale New Haven Hospital’s exceptional work to address social drivers of health and improve health outcomes for children and families,” said Jennifer Jackson, CEO, CHA.  “We applaud the Yale New Haven Hospital team for working collaboratively with the Center for Children’s Advocacy to ensure care extends beyond the four walls of a hospital or doctor’s office to address the root causes of health disparities and tackle the health-harming legal needs of children and their families.”

By effectively combining consultations, legal representation, education and training, and policy advocacy, the YNHH-CAA MLPP continues to be a thread through and across multiple departments, clinics, and disciplines.  To date, there have been over 3,000 referrals to the MLPP.  Cases that cannot be handled by the MLPP attorney are referred to other legal aid and community resources.  The program is jointly funded by Yale New Haven Health and Wiggin and Dana.

Read more here.  Learn more about the program by watching the award recognition video here.