The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York has partnered with St. Peter’s Health Partners and Albany Law School to assist low-income patients at St. Peter’s Hospital with their civil legal needs. The Medical-Legal Partnership bridges the gap between medical and legal services, ultimately providing a more holistic approach to assisting patients.
Areas of Practice:
- Temporary Assistance
- Disability Benefits
- Food Stamps
- Homelessness
- Evictions
- Foreclosures
- FMLA Rights
- Immigration
- Wills
- Powers of Attorney
- Child Custody Matters
- Standby Guardianships
- Consumer Issues
- Utility Disconnects
- And More!
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for assistance through the MLP, patients must meet the below 4 requirements:
- Inpatient or in outpatient observation at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY
- Receive Medicaid, be eligible for Medicaid, or receive St. Peter’s Financial Assistance
- Have a legal issue that impacts health
- Be referred to the program through a St. Peter’s physician, P.A., nurse, social worker, or other health care worker
Once a St. Peter’s health care worker makes a referral, our staff attorney contacts the patient to being assessing their legal needs. The patient can receive assistance through Legal Aid or our staff attorney can refer them to the Albany Law School Health Law Clinic.
When Does a Legal Problem Relate to Health?
- The legal issue is harming to the patient’s health
- The legal issue is aggravated by the patient’s illness
- The legal issue is an obstacle to the patient’s treatment, recovery, or discharge plan
Legal Aid now has an office at St. Peter’s Hospital to be more accessible to patients. If you are inpatient or under observation through St. Peter’s Hospital and think you may have a legal issue, ask your health care worker if this program is right for you!