Health Disparities

The heart of this project is our Medical-Legal Partnership, launched in 2003. This is an innovative collaboration between Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and attorneys from LCR.

The goal is to improve the material well-being of low-income people of color and immigrants who receive their medical care at MGH’s community-based health centers in Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Charlestown.

The pediatricians and mental health providers refer their patients to an LCR attorney who is on-site one day a week and who provides direct pro bono legal assistance in housing matters, disability benefits, child support, unemployment compensation, and naturalization assistance.

While there are more than 150 medical-legal partnerships in the United States, our program is unique in linking civil rights attorneys to a community health team composed of 16 medically certified interpreters, experienced case managers, social workers, and specialists in infant-parent care.

In addition to coordinating the Medical–Legal Partnership, the Health Disparities Project works closely with other organizations to reduce lead paint poisoning in low-income communities.