“I cannot begin to tell you what a relief it is to have the Medical-Legal Partnership on our medical team, especially this year with Covid and all the hardships it has brought. I am able to help my patients with so much more than what people typically think a doctor can do and that is thanks to our legal partners. Just last week a mom asked me to please thank the lawyer for her and wanted me to copy her rent receipt to show them because she was so happy that it had finally been adjusted with their help. Before that, a mom texted me a copy of a rent ledger with her rent relief payment finally coming through for her that the lawyer had helped with. Time and time again, I feel like I could not do my job without the lawyers by my side!”
-Dr. Alicia Turlington, KKV Pediatric Department
Medical Legal Partnership for Children Hawai’i
The unprecedented challenges created by the pandemic have resulted in many new needs and concerns, including the ever-evolving demand for effective access to legal services. Over the past year, MLPC is pleased to share that it increased its services twofold (approx. 100 matters in 2019 to 200 matters in 2020), even despite the new challenges posed by a remote work environment. Specifically, MLPCH focused on several key areas in an effort to consolidate its efforts to match the needs of the community: public & private housing matters; unemployment issues; public benefits terminations; and other pandemic related affairs. MLPCH is pleased to share that none of its clients have been evicted and/or displaced during the pandemic without legal recourse. In addition,
MLPCH focused on its preventive law model in order to prevent countless illegal evictions and wrongful benefit terminations at a time when clients were most vulnerable and needed it the most. MLPCH is thankful and appreciative for the continued partnership and advocacy with all KKV providers and for all client referrals & collaborations. Our continued success and efficacy could not happen without this key partnership and relationship with KKV and other community groups.
In 2020 MLPCH:
Represented grandparents in a guardianship case in family court, successfully keeping a family intact.
Prevented the deportation of a mother, successfully appealing her case and ultimately getting her it dismissed from immigration court.
Successfully obtained fee waivers in numerous immigration applications, saving clients from $500 to $800 in each case.
Successfully advocated for a client’s housing rights which involved a five-figure reimbursement/credit for past due rent charges and prevented an impending eviction.
Successfully renegotiated a client’s rental agreement to allow for an additional household member to be added to the official lease, an elderly woman who was suffering from pre-existing health ailments and was rendered homeless prior to our office’s involvement.
