Legal Council Blog

Views expressed in this blog belong to the respective author unless otherwise specified.

A City Divided: Laquan McDonald and Health Disparities in Chicago

December 3, 2018

Last week, three Chicago police officers went to trial on charges that they were part of a cover up of the death of Laquan McDonald. The trial comes after Officer…

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Special Education - Legal Council for Health Justice logo

#LegalCouncil30 – A note from Legal Council Executive Director Tom Yates

December 3, 2018

#LegalCouncil30 – A note from Executive Director Tom Yates Legal Council is officially 30! Because of loyal friends like you, we have accomplished so much over the past three decades.…

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DHS Public Charge

Illinois Alliance for Welcoming Health Care

November 29, 2018

Over the last two years, immigrants have faced threats of deportation and family separation, forcing parents to choose between accessing life-saving care and services for their families and keeping their…

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Legal Council Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Hannah Berkowitz

November 27, 2018

Hannah Berkowitz, Legal Council Staff Attorney Legal Council just keeps growing! Two months ago, we welcomed over 10 new employees in our legal programs, development team, and administrative team. Legal…

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Legal Council Staff Spotlight

Staff Spotlight: Jena Moch

November 27, 2018

Legal Council just keeps growing! During the last couple of months, we welcomed multiple new employees in our legal programs, development team, and administrative team. Legal Council has many exciting projects…

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Living True: Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2018

Almost 20 years ago, transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith started the Transgender Day of Remembrance (T.D.O.R) to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman killed in her own home in 1998.…

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Making the Case for Use of Federal WIC Funds to Conduct Blood Lead Testing

November 12, 2018

Childhood lead exposure remains a persistent environmental health threat, particularly for low-income minority children. Research has shown that children in families receiving public assistance such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than children not enrolled in a public assistance program, and that targeted testing of WIC participants could help identify additional children with elevated blood lead levels.

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inequalities in schools

Racial Inequalities in Schools

November 9, 2018

Recently, ProPublica created a database called “Miseducation” that allows people to examine racial inequalities in schools and their districts in the United States. Illinois, particularly Chicago, is very segregated and…

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Illinoisans now have access to a life-saving cure to hepatitis C

November 8, 2018

After receiving a formal threat of litigation, officials at the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) negotiated with Legal Council lawyers to end the department’s policy of rationing…

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