title: The role of advocacy in occasioning community and organizational change in a medical-legal partnership.
abstract: Health disparities among low-income individuals remain a significant problem. A number of social determinants are associated with adverse health outcomes. Medical-legal partnerships address legal concerns of low-income individuals to improve health and wellness in adults and children. The Medical-Legal Partnership at Legal Aid of Western Missouri provides free direct legal services for patients with legal concerns affecting health. There is limited evidence regarding the association between advocacy-related efforts and changes within both the medical-legal partnership structure and in health-care facilities. Three health-care organizations in Kansas City, MO participated in implementing the medical-legal partnership model between 2007 and 2010. Advocacy efforts conducted by key medical-legal partnership personnel were strongly associated with changes in health-care organizations and within the medical-legal partnership structure. This study extends the current evidence base by examining the types of advocacy efforts required to bring about community and organizational changes.
authors.affiliation: Work Group for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. kandersonjr@ku.edu
authors.forename: Kaston D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Anderson-Carpenter
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Collie-Akers
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Colvin
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cronin
mesh_terms: D019058:Community Networks / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008923:Missouri; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011203:Poverty; D012922:Social Change; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*