A large number of the people who seek care at the University of Virginia Medical Center live in poverty. A new partnership with the U.Va law school and the Legal Aid Justice Center will help with legal issues that keep those patients on the fringes of society.
Under the U.Va Family Law Advocacy Project, doctors can refer patients to the Legal Aid Justice Center if they feel their medical needs are being affected by a legal problem. Thanks to a grant from the Jessie Ball DuPont Foundation, the project was able to hire a full-time staff attorney to deal with the case load.
 Dr. Diane Pappas, left, and Assistant Dean Kimberly Emery co-founded the Family Advocacy Program. |
I recently spoke with U.Va pediatrician Diane Pappas, Assistant U.Va Law School Dean Kimberly Emery, and attorney Christianne Quieroz about the program, which has also just received an additional grant from the Burford Liemenstoll Foundation.
This piece originally aired on WVTF Public Radio.
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