New York Legal Assistance Group

This chapter provides an overview of the medical-legal partnership (MLP) service delivery model, which integrates legal services into healthcare settings as a means of addressing the legal aspects of patients’ social determinants of health. It introduces the underlying concepts that drive MLPs, including the five “I-HELP” legal needs categories, and contextualizes them in the world of cancer care. The chapter then provides a basic introduction to the cancer-specific legal needs of low-income cancer patients for each of the five categories: income, housing, education and employment, legal status, and personal and familial stability. Each legal “snapshot” discusses the legal principles of each need, how those principles apply to cancer patients, and how an interdisciplinary MLP model can use those principles to address the needs of its patients. The discussion is intended to educate cancer providers on the MLP model as well as provide practical advocacy tips. It concludes with two case vignettes that demonstrate how MLP intervention can improve patient’s overall well-being and quality of life.