Doctors & Lawyers for Kids program wins national outreach award

Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, an organization facilitated by the partnership of Brandeis School of Law, the Legal Aid Society, Louisville Bar Association, University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics and Kosair Children's Hospital, has won the LexisNexis Community & Educational Outreach Award. D. Scott Furkin, a 1982 Brandeis graduate and current executive director of the Louisville Bar Association, will accept the award on July 30 on the organization’s behalf.

The nonprofit’s mission is to connect the medical and legal professions in order to address legal needs that affect the health and welfare of low-income patients facing health problems stemming from issues related to housing, utilities, employment, education, bankruptcy, immigration status and domestic violence.

Louisville’s Doctors & Lawyers for Kids organization was incorporated in 2010. It was modeled after the first medical-legal partnership that was developed more than 20 years ago by doctors serving indigent patients at Boston Medical Center. These types of partnerships now serve vulnerable populations – including the elderly, children and people living with chronic illnesses – in more than 275 hospitals across the country.

“These programs look different in each city. We looked around and figured that since we have a medical school, a law school, an active bar association and a good relationship with Legal Aid, something similar would work really well here,” Furkin said.

Furkin’s first step was getting someone else on board to be a champion of the idea. He recruited Martha Hasselbacher, who retired as general counsel for Norton Healthcare and is also past president of the Legal Aid Society, the LBA and a 1980 Brandeis graduate. She jumped on board and now serves as DLK president.

“Because of her work with Norton, Martha has credibility with doctors and we knew they were going to trust her,” Furkin said. “We had to create a relationship with doctors and form a medical/legal team. We had to build trust first and she was the right person to do that.”

Furkin and Hasselbacher then approached the Department of Pediatrics and Kosair, as Doctors & Lawyers for Kids created its mission to be focused specifically on children.

According to Furkin, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids operates on the premise that medical care alone doesn’t always solve health problems among the poor. In this program, doctors are trained to spot legal issues that can also negatively impact patients’ health and then refer them to lawyers who work pro bono. The example he provides is a mold problem causing respiratory issues in a rental property that has not been remedied by the landlord.

Furkin said there has been great participation in the five years the program has existed. Brandeis School of Law has also leveraged the program to provide education for students. For example, Professor Laura Rothstein teaches a course called Poverty, Health and the Law.

Furkin has also spoken at the school on behalf of the program, as have lawyers from Legal Aid and Hasselbacher. Students themselves can also sign up at the clinic as part of their public service requirement for Brandeis.

“Law students get to see the immediate result of their work through this program. There is no better feeling than to go to court and get a problem fixed for someone who needs it. It’s empowering to affect people’s lives for the better,” Furkin said. “This is kind of new, teaching law students the connection between poverty and health and helping lawyers realize they can use their lawyering skills to have a positive impact on community health.”

Five years in and Furkin said the organization is in pretty good shape thanks to LBA funding, private funding, grants and an annual 5K run in the fall. Doctors & Lawyers for Kids also recently held its first private fundraiser.

“We made it to the five-year mark and people are just now starting to hear about us. We’re here to stay,” he said.

The next steps are to continue raising awareness and to expand and potentially generate new partnerships with additional community organizations that share similar objectives.

“It’s important we help people in the community understand the connection between poverty and health because your zip code can be just as important in determining your health as your cholesterol levels,” Furkin said. “You may not have great food choices, or safe neighborhoods to play in. All of these things drag down a community. Everyone should have an interest in this. It’s everyone’s problem.”

To date, more than 500 families have been seen through the program, with 330 of them receiving legal services. The program, which generates expenses of about $65,000 annually, is funded through grants, corporate and individual donations and a 5K run/walk, The Ramble, hosted by the LBA in August. This year’s 5K event is Aug. 15 at Beckley Creek Park. Registration for the 5K event is now open and can be done online.