Health Program for Children To Expand Nationwide
Boston Medical Center on Monday announced plans to expand nationwide a program that partners physicians, attorneys and social workers to provide healthy residential environments for low-income children, the Boston Globe reports.
Since 1993, the Family Advocacy Program has helped more than 4,000 low-income families in Massachusetts to address a number of residential issues -- such as the elimination of indoor smoke from neighboring apartments, rodent infestation and mold that can cause asthma. In addition, the program has helped low-income families apply for food stamps and has worked to ensure their residences have heat in the winter.
According to physicians, the use of attorneys and social workers to address legal issues that can cause health problems for low-income children can help prevent more serious concerns.
Under the nationwide program, called Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, BMC will seek to establish similar programs in all 50 states with $2.7 million in grants over five years from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other groups (Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, 4/10).