A Partnership for Health and Life
POLICY & ADVOCACY IMPACT – REMOVING LEGAL BARRIERS
Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Medical-Legal Partnership program integrates legal professionals into our clinics to help patients overcome non-medical challenges – like housing insecurity, wrongful denial of benefits, or debt disputes – that can worsen health conditions.
Working alongside Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, the Medical-Legal Partnership team helps patients resolve these issues so they can focus on getting well.
For 82-year old Juanita, a dental patient at the Wesley Health & Wellness Center, that legal help came at a critical time. After major neck surgery that left her temporarily paralyzed, she relied on a home health aid for basic care. Then, due to a Medicare agency error, those services were suddenly terminated. At the same time, she was struggling to afford rent, living with her daughter, and trying to qualify for Section 8 housing assistance – only to be denied twice.
“They took my [home health] aide away. I didn’t know what to do,” Juanita recalls. “Everywhere I went I couldn’t get help. I had to move in with my daughter because of how expensive everything became. They denied me housing – twice. That’s when I went o MHM. And you help me a lot.”
Our Medical-Legal Partnership team stepped in on two fronts. They disputed the wrongful termination of her Medicare services and won, reinstating her home health services. They also helped her secure a Qualified Medicare Beneficiary subsidy, saving her $185 a month on premiums.
Separately, they challenged her housing denial. The local housing authority had cited an old $1,000 debt to a former landlord as grounds for rejection. The Medical-Legal Partnership team argued that the debt was too old to be used against her, and the housing officials eventually conceded.
While Juanita remains on the city’s two-year housing waitlist, the legal victory removed a major barrier to her application.
Her health remains fragile – she lives with chronic pain and recently suffered a heart attack – with home healthcare services reinstated, she feels supported. “Now my provider, my nurse, comes every week and everything is beautiful,” she says.
Juanita’s gratitude for the program is deep. “It made me feel good because I couldn’t do anything,” she reflects. “But I went [to the Wesley Health & Wellness Center] and they helped me with my teeth and my life. I’m fine. I’m grateful. I’ve very grateful.”
She also wants other in her community to know they don’t have to struggle alone. “Go in and visit them for the things you need. Pick up the phone, make a call…they will help you out. Health, legal, whatever you need.”
Her message for the MLP team is simple, “God bless them and for them to help other people. Keep on going. Keep going.”
