Doctors & Lawyers for Kids Now an LAS Program!
Louisville, KY (April 1, 2021) — Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, founded in 2011 as non-profit medical-legal partnership, has dissolved as an independent 501(c) 3 organization and is now a program of Legal Aid Society. Services provided by Doctors & Lawyers for Kids will not be interrupted.
As a program of Legal Aid Society, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids will benefit from the existing infrastructure of a nearly 100-year-old organization, building program capacity by utilizing Legal Aid’s professional fundraising staff, financial management, advocacy support, and volunteer recruitment. Scott Furkin, Executive Director of the Louisville Bar Association, noted why continuing the program under the umbrella of Legal Aid Society is so vital, saying, “By providing free civil legal services on-site in medical clinics that serve indigent patients, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids is able to catch problems early before families are in crisis. Lawyers practice preventative law alongside preventative medicine, effectively becoming part of the health care team.”
"I am delighted that Doctors & Lawyers for Kids has found a new permanent home at Legal Aid Society,” says Martha Hasselbacher, co-founder of Doctors & Lawyers for Kids. “Over the last 12 years, we have developed the program as a small independent nonprofit, dedicated to eliminating the legal obstacles to a child’s health and well-being. I hope that as part of the larger organization, one that shares the same objectives and values; Doctors & Lawyers for Kids will continue to grow. Together with Legal Aid, we can achieve the goal of reaching every child in our community because every child deserves the right to be healthy.
“Our goal is to build on what Martha and the board have established,” says Neva Scott, Executive Director of Legal Aid Society. “With over 20% of children in Jefferson County living in poverty, the need for Doctors & Lawyers for Kids remains profound. By working with medical partners, the program connects with families in a meaningful way that not only illuminates an underlying legal program but offers pathways to solutions for families to achieve good health and stability.”
Client Success - Charlotte’s Story
Since its founding, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids has served over 2,000 clients. Helping families like Baby Charlotte’s:
Baby Charlotte was diagnosed at birth with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a progressive genetic disorder that degrades motor neurons. If untreated, Charlotte would lose her ability to sit, stand, walk, and even breathe. Until four years ago, there have been no available treatments for SMA. Today, there is a cutting-edge treatment. While it will not replace the lost neurons, this treatment will slow and even stop the loss of motor function. For patients with the most severe forms of SMA, it has greatly reduced their risk of becoming ventilator-dependent and of death before age 2. This treatment has only been FDA-approved for approximately a year, is only available for children under 2, and costs $2.1 million for the drug alone.
Charlotte’s neurologist submitted her case for Medicaid prior authorization when she was 5 mos. old and already showing some symptoms, but she was denied, repeatedly. Charlotte’s Medicaid provider asserted (incorrectly) that the treatment is experimental for patients like Charlotte and that alternative, less expensive treatments were available. Charlotte’s neurologist told the family she was close to giving up the pursuit for approval before taking the case to her superiors. The UofL Chair of Pediatrics tried to get approval through back channels before ultimately bringing the case to Doctors & Lawyers for Kids.
Doctors & Lawyers for Kids took on the case in March of 2020 to pursue an administrative appeal. Over the course of the four months it took to request and schedule a hearing, Charlotte continued to show functional loss including a need for oxygen support overnight and swallowing issues. Her Doctors & Lawyers for Kids attorney continued preparation for the hearing, even looping in a national non-profit, NHeLP for Medicaid technical assistance. According to NHeLP, no baby with Charlotte’s unique factors had been approved for Medicaid coverage of this treatment, so they were particularly interested in the outcome of our hearing. Two days before to the hearing, the case was settled, and the treatment was approved for Charlotte.
Baby Charlotte received her infusion in July and is doing well. Her mother sent a video in August that showed Charlotte (11 months) walking!
Doctors & Lawyers for Kids is generously supported by Norton Healthcare, Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, Gheens Foundation, Louisville Bar Foundation, Kentucky Bar Foundation, and Family Health Centers.
About Doctors & Lawyers for Kids
Doctors & Lawyers for Kids is a medical-legal partnership integrating legal care into medical care to empower families, promote resiliency, and eliminate social needs that contribute to poor health in our children. Legal Aid Society and Doctors & Lawyers for Kids partner with area medical clinics, including Norton Healthcare (Norton Medical Association Broadway and Norton Children’s Hospital), UofL Pediatrics (Novak Center for Children’s Health, Stonestreet, and Eastern Parkway), Family Health Centers (Portland, Iroquois, and East Broadway), and the Smoketown Family Wellness Center. Prior to the pandemic, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids staff would hold office hours at each clinic, where medical professionals trained to identify civil legal issues would refer patients directly to the on-site attorney to provide legal assistance. The program hopes to return to in-person office hours in the Spring of 2021 but continues to work remotely with the clinic staff.
Doctors & Lawyers for Kids provides civil legal assistance to low-income families with issues related to:
Housing Law: evictions, unsafe housing conditions, foreclosures, discrimination, and utility shut offs
Family Law: domestic violence, divorce, child support, guardianship, child custody and parenting schedule, legal documents including powers of attorney and wills
Employment Law: discrimination, expungement of criminal records, wage claims, Family Medical Leave Act, and unemployment benefits
Health Law and Government Benefits: Social Security and SSI, food stamps, K-TAP, Medicaid, Medicare, K-CHIP, and health insurance problems’
Education Law: Services for children with disabilities, bullying problems, behavior referrals and discipline
Finance and Tax: Debt collection and wage garnishment, IRS problems, bankruptcy, and small claims disputes
To make a gift to Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, click here.
To learn more about Legal Aid Society’s programs, including Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, click here.