Mission

LegalHealth partners with medical professionals to address the non-medical needs of low-income people with serious health problems. LegalHealth complements health care with legal care – providing free legal services in medical facilities and training healthcare professionals to understand the legal issues their patients face. LegalHealth extends its mission nationally by providing technical assistance to bring medical and legal partners together.

Since 2001, LegalHealth’s dedicated staff has improved the lives of over 26,000 low-income New Yorkers with serious health needs. Where social conditions pose a barrier to improved health, the LegalHealth team can advocate to ensure a patient’s right to access care, basic benefits, stable housing and immigration remedies.

LegalHealth’s training of health care providers at its partner hospitals raises awareness among the health care professionals to the non-medical barriers to improved patient health and they become actively involved in referring and advocating for their patients.