Notes From the Field or "Random Indicators of Market Penetration"

Ellen Lawton, Esq.
Executive Director, National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership

Sometimes it feels like no matter where I look – my inbox, professional associations, federal agencies, reference calls for former student interns – I see MLP integration.

From the Cinncinati MLP:
One possible indicator of MLP success? At a recent project meeting, the team paralegal started to ask a question -- but before she even finished, the training physician had jumped in to answer. Everyone around the table was clueless about the topic -- and that's when the physician laughed and said "Sorry, we work the same day in the clinic and now I can finish her sentences!"

From Loyola University School of Law:
Loyola University Chicago School of Law invites applications for a clinical position in health law. We are seeking a candidate to start and develop a live client clinic with the Beazley Health Law Institute, one of the foremost health law programs in the U.S. We are open to proposals on a variety of clinical topics including medical-legal partnerships and elder law. All applicants must demonstrate a high level of substantive knowledge, solid practice experience, and a strong desire to teach. Loyola is committed to maintaining a diverse faculty with a wide variety of perspectives and we strongly encourage applications from minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and a resume (writing samples and references are not necessary at this time). Contact: LawCommitteeChair@luc.edu or Prof. Jeffrey L. Kwall, Chair, Committee on Faculty Appointments, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 25 East Pearson Street, Chicago, IL 60611.

From the Institute of Medicine:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 called on the Institute of Medicine to recommend a list of 100 priority topics to be the initial focus of a new national investment in comparative effectiveness research. In the second quartile:
Compare the effectiveness of an integrated approach (combining counseling, environmental mitigation, chronic disease management, and legal assistance) with a non-integrated episodic care model in managing asthma in children.

From St. Louis, MO MLP and Charlottesville, VA MLP:
Two young, intrepid and committed attorneys, Carolyn Pointer and Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, have chased MLP as a career choice. Each has interned or practiced at three MLPs [Ann Arbor, Boston, Worcester and Cleveland in addition to those above], gathering passion, expertise and insight along the way.

Indeed – MLP is popping up all over the place. Time to go on vacation, I say!