Improving the Health of Vulnerable Children with Medical-Legal Partnerships

“It’s not a medical problem.” This has long been the perspective of doctors who feel powerless to address the critical social and environmental conditions that influence children’s health. Substandard housing, polluted neighborhoods, and inadequate nutrition are just a few of the “nonmedical” problems that can compromise children’s health status and developmental trajectory. The most visible result of these threats can be a frustrating, expensive, and heartbreakingly preventable trip to the doctor’s office or local emergency room. Unfortunately, only the symptoms of these underlying maladies can be treated in a health care setting.