Medical professionals are becoming more deeply aware that a child’s environment as much as, or even more than, biological and genetic factors can affect one’s health. One such environmental determinant of health is the condition of the housing where a child lives. All states and most localities have laws governing the conditions of residential property. Lawyers, by advocating proper enforcement of these laws, ensure that housing is safe and sanitary, thus helping children grow up healthy. Through funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lawyers from Legal Aid of Nebraska will be placed in a Boys Town Pediatrics clinic, establishing a Medical-Legal Partnership. The clinic staff are trained to screen patients for environmental concerns adversely affecting their health, making appropriate referrals to the lawyers and working collaboratively with them to address their patients’ health and environmental concerns as part of the health care team. Families served by Boys Town Pediatrics receive information and resources on their legal rights related to their home environment as well as materials on how to foster partnerships with medical and legal professionals to address their concerns.

For more information on the Medical-Legal Partnership at Boys Town, please contact Michelle Mertz at mertzm@boystown.org