For more information, contact:
Pamela Gibbs-Smith
Director, Public Relations and Community Engagement
281.832.2178 (c) | 713.646.1799
pgibbs@stcl.edu
Houston, TX – April 5, 2024 – The inaugural Member Meeting and MLP Conference of the Texas Medical-Legal Partnership Coalition is scheduled April 12 on the South Texas College of Law Houston campus. Bethany Hamilton, JD, director of the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnerships, will be the keynote speaker.
Harris Health System and South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) teamed up in 2023 to provide free legal services to patients needing to address “health harming” situations.
These situations might include a patient suffering from chronic asthma stuck in mold-infested rental property, a patient unable to get a job because of a misdemeanor criminal record as a young person or a patient unable to update their Social Security benefits because of an incomplete divorce. Thanks to a generous grant from the Episcopal Health Foundation, Harris Health began medical legal partnership (MLP) that offers legal aid to patients at Harris Health Vallbona Health Center and Harris Health Aldine Health Center.
“This will be a groundbreaking event for professionals at the intersection of healthcare and law,” said Vinh N. Ho, Senior Director for Legal Services, STCL Houston Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics.
The conference will bring together a diverse group of experts, practitioners, and thought leaders to share ideas and experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in critical discussions, participate in workshops, and network with peers dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of communities through legal advocacy.
Bethany Hamilton, a renowned figure in the medical-legal field, will present the keynote address, sharing insights from her extensive experience in fostering partnerships between healthcare providers and legal professionals. Her work at the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership has been instrumental in shaping policies and practices that address the social determinants of health.
The event also will feature panel discussions and breakout sessions, all aimed at equipping attendees with the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate the complex landscape of medical-legal collaboration.
Join us for an enlightening day of learning, collaboration, and advancement toward a more integrated approach to health and legal care. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit www.txmlpc.org/events.
About South Texas College of Law Houston
South Texas College of Law Houston is one of America’s most diverse law schools in America’s most diverse city. In 1923, the YMCA established the law school to offer night classes for working professionals. Today, the independent law school in downtown Houston offers both full-time and part-time schedules to earn an ABA-accredited J.D. degree. South Texas Law provides an exceptional legal education featuring renowned faculty and nationally recognized, experienced-based learning. The law school’s 16,000-plus alumni lead and serve with distinction as Texas Supreme Court justices, Fortune 500 CEOs, Tier 1 attorneys, state and national officials, judges, law professors and more.
About the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities by leading health, public health, and legal sectors in an integrated, upstream approach to combating health-harming social conditions.
About the Texas Medical-Legal Partnership Coalition
The Coalition aims to improve the health of all Texans by supporting and promoting partnerships between legal and healthcare professionals to address the structural problems that underlie health inequities and contribute to health-harming social needs.
