Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Health Law Advocates Launch Medical-legal Partnership

Innovative Program Will Help Improve Health Care Access for Immigrants

BOSTON - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Health Law Advocates (HLA) today announced the launch of a new medical-legal partnership for immigrants, which provides free legal assistance to non-citizen Massachusetts residents with low income. The partnership will be based at BIDMC and Bowdoin Street Health Center (Bowdoin), a community health center in Dorchester, which is licensed by BIDMC. This collaboration will enable both entities to advance health equity and expand access to health care for immigrants.

In collaboration with Bowdoin and BIDMC staff, HLA attorneys will represent patients referred by care teams and clinical staff to help remove barriers to health care that are common for immigrants. This includes expanding health insurance coverage for patients who are not covered for the right level of care, addressing medical debt, and handling other issues that impact health outcomes, including certain barriers to discharge from an inpatient stay, like securing in-home care. In addition, HLA will also serve patients through a monthly legal clinic on-site at the health center.

“Our collaboration with HLA will help some of our most in-need residents get better access to both health care and critical legal services,” said Pete Healy, President of BIDMC. “We are proud to join in this partnership with HLA to advance our shared goals of addressing health equity.”

“By partnering with HLA, we can help remove barriers our patients face in getting the best care possible,” said Nancy Kasen, Vice President, Community Benefits and Community Relations, Beth Israel Lahey Health. “Addressing social determinants of health creates better long-term health outcomes for our patients.”

“Through this partnership, we will work together to give our community greater access to the care they need,” said Samantha Taylor, Executive Director of Bowdoin Street Health Center. “Our shared goal is to close gaps in services for some of our most in-need patients, and we are grateful to HLA for their collaboration.”

"We are very excited about this partnership. Our goal is to ensure that the most at-risk populations in Massachusetts have access to care and coverage," said Jennifer Cedor, Supervising Attorney at HLA, who manages HLA’s Medical-Legal Partnership for Immigrant program and will staff the on-site monthly clinic.

"One great thing about these partnerships is that we often reach patients or clients who may not have normally reached us because their providers are referring. Some are clients who don't know how to find us because of resources or language barriers. This partnership allows them to be able to access health services they weren't able to access previously," said Kate Purrington, Supervising Attorney at HLA.