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Volunteer Legal Service Program (VLSP)

Medical Clinic Forms Partnership with VLSP to Help Patients in Need

St. Mary’s Medical Center Clinic Joins with VLSP and Latham & Watkins to Provide Access to Legal Services for Patients

 

St. Mary’s Medical Center recently announced the launch of a new program that will provide legal assistance to patients at the Sister Mary Philippa Clinic through a partnership among the clinic, BASF’s Volunteer Legal Services Program, Latham & Watkins LLP, and the St. Mary’s Foundation.

Funded by Latham & Watkins and the St. Mary’s Foundation, the program provides a resident attorney at the clinic one day per week for the next year. Physicians and clinic staff can refer a patient for a legal consult the same way they would send a patient for a needed medical service. The attorney will assess the patient’s legal needs and assign them a volunteer attorney from VLSP. Volunteer attorneys will help patients with legal issues they have in areas such as health insurance, housing, and social advocacy.
The Sister Mary Philippa Clinic provides a coordinated program of comprehensive outpatient health services to patients from the San Francisco community, and supports St. Mary’s mission by treating patients regardless of their ability to pay. Approximately 1,700 of the clinic’s patients have no health coverage and receive their care free of charge or at a reduced rate. Many clinic patients’ medical needs are further complicated by social, environmental and other circumstances which have a negative effect on their ability to lead healthy, safe lives.

“Legal services are good for one’s health,” said Tiela Chalmers, executive director of VLSP. “Through this partnership, patients are provided the legal services needed to ameliorate issues that adversely impact their health, safety, and overall well being. St. Mary’s staff of doctors, nurses, social workers, and counselors are active partners in the project, which integrates legal services into the host of medical services offered at the clinic, so that patients have a real shot at improving their living conditions, economic status, and well-being.”

Gerald PetersGerald Peters, a partner in the San Francisco office of Latham & Watkins who has spearheaded the firm’s support for the program, added, “Our firm works with hospitals and healthcare facilities such as St. Mary’s Medical Center on a daily basis – and we also have one of the most active pro bono practices in the country – so we are acutely aware that legal services can play a key role in delivering efficient and practical support across the healthcare spectrum, and especially to assist the most needy members of our community.”