Reading Hospital partners with MidPenn Legal Services

Reading Hospital has partnered with MidPenn Legal Services to offer low-income hospital patients free legal advice and representation.

The flagship hospital of Berks County’s Tower Health network, Reading Hospital, and MidPenn, a non-profit law firm based in Reading, have created the Be Well Berks Medical Legal Partnership program in order to reduce hospital visits and improve the health of the low-income population in the Reading area.

The program is funded by the hospital’s Be Well Berks Grant Program which is designed to fund community health projects.

“We have patients that experience tremendous health issues resulting from challenges such as not having enough food, living in dangerous housing conditions and sometimes fearing retaliatory evictions” said Desha Dickson, Reading Hospital associate vice president for Community Wellness. “The Be Well Berks Medical Legal Partnership Program integrates legal assistance as a vital component of patient care, and it is improving patients’ health and lives.”

Tower Health reports that according to research, when legal services are used to address social needs, people with chronic illnesses are admitted to the hospital less frequently, take their medication as prescribed, report less stress, and experience improvements in mental health.

The MLP addresses legal issues in the areas of income stability (such as income support, food insecurity, disability income and insurance) and housing stability (such as evictions, utility shut-off, poor conditions, foreclosures, lead paint and Section 8 terminations).

Social Determinant of Health screenings are conducted at several Reading Hospital sites – the Emergency Department, Children’s Health Center, Women’s Health Center, Center for Public Health, Center for Mental Health, Family Health Care Center, A4 Specialty Clinic 13 Tower Health Medical Group ambulatory sites and four Berks Community Health Center locations.

In addition to legal issues, the screenings are used to identify housing, utilities, transportation, food and personal safety needs.

“The emphasis is on prevention,” said Molly Sanders, MidPenn managing attorney of the Be Well Berks Medical Legal Partnership Program. “Our goal is to address legal needs before they result in legal or medical emergencies. As a result, we’re already seeing an improvement in the health and well-being of our clients across Berks County.”