Legal Council Blog
Views expressed in this blog belong to the respective author unless otherwise specified.
Health Risks and Exposure To Violence
According to data “black Chicagoans…see higher rates of hypertension, obesity and death from heart disease than their white and Latino peers, which mirrors national trends.”
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Immigrant child health and border separations
Law professor Yael Cannon, director of the Medical-Legal Partnership at Georgetown Law’s Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic in D.C, reflects on how child health is being negatively impacted by border…
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Celebrating #LegalCouncilPride
This Pride Month, Legal Council for Health Justice had a blast participating in the Chicago Pride Parade! We would like to thank not only the Chicago Spirit Brigade for…
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Guest Blog: Taking Pride in Who You Are
“I always knew I wanted to work in public interest law, but I came to Legal Council because I wanted a place where I could be myself. I wanted a place where I could interact with clients who were like me. Growing up in South Georgia, I didn’t always have that.” – Myron Grant, Legal Council Staff Attorney.
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ACA Under Attack
Illinois’ Attorney General Lisa Madigan has join a coalition of 16 Attorneys General that are opposing a lawsuit filed by Texas and several other states.
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Client Story: the Rodriguez Family
Rose and Miguel Rodriguez were a couple struggling to make ends meet, like many hardworking families in Illinois. Though they were both undocumented, Miguel had a steady job and was trying hard to provide a stable home for his three children: Felix, age 9, Mary, age 4, and Julio, age 2. Recovering from a stroke and struggling with language and memory issues, Rose was unable to work. Each child had a medical disability, but Rose and Miguel were doing their best to get their children the care they needed.
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Policy Update: Legal Council Advocacy Victories
May was a busy month for the legal experts here at Legal Council for Health Justice. When we weren’t serving and empowering low-income people with chronic illnesses or disabilities at over a dozen on-site clinics across the city, or suing the State of Illinois on behalf of thousands of Illinoisans wrongfully delayed or denied Medicaid coverage, OR leading advocacy efforts in the State Board of Education investigation into CPS’ special education program and procedural violations, our team was hard at work advocating for numerous policies across the State.
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Pharmacies: An Endangered Species
A growing trend in the low income neighborhoods of Chicago is causing a great deal of concern for public health. Compared to white neighborhoods, black and Latino communities are being labeled as pharmacy deserts. “Pharmacy deserts” are neighborhoods that are suffering from various pharmacy closures. These vulnerable communities are usually less affluent and home to minorities and senior citizens. When pharmacies close, these residents are left behind without basic needs.
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Legal Council Advocates VS. CPS Special Education
After a public inquiry team, led by the Illinois State Board of Education, spent the last five months investigating Chicago Public Schools’ Special Education policies and practices and found significant and unnecessary delays and denials in services, the Board voted Wednesday to approve an independent monitor to oversee CPS as it works to implement changes.
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