Legal Council Blog
Views expressed in this blog belong to the respective author unless otherwise specified.
We won’t go back to 1964!
In the days after the 2016 election, we have thought long and hard about likely targets with a new administration and Congress. We see a new war on the poor with the first target being access to essential healthcare.
Medicaid is the principal program that provides access to medical care to the poor in Illinois. Since 1965 as part of the War on Poverty, Medicaid has been a remarkable program, providing life-saving healthcare for low-income Americans. And, the Affordable Care Act (aka ACA or ObamaCare) expanded Medicaid to single, childless adults living at or near poverty.
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Tilting toward justice
No matter what, the Legal Council will continue to stand firm, fight, and never give up. As an agency that serves people with legal problems impacting their well-being, we are resolved to continue our work toward justice and dignity. We have already heard from clients who are concerned that their medications will be taken away in the coming days. We will continue—as we have done for almost three decades—to advocate for the rights of our clients and work hand-in-hand with our partners across the state and nation.
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5 Things I learned from Kate (or trauma-informed care 101)
Legal advocate Kate Miller travels all over the city to meet with clients who are homeless with severe mental illness. She helps them get disability benefits. One Wednesday, I tagged along to see her work in action. It was a day full of perspective. Here are just five of the things I learned:
Read MoreChicago Public Schools Vows to Fix Transportation Policy After Parent and Advocate Outcry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Jill Wohl, 312-605-1980 Chicago Public Schools Vows to Fix Transportation Policy After Parent and Advocate Outcry District to continue to provide transportation to preschool students with…
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Making breathing easier
Legal Council for Health Justice, Chicago Asthma Consortium, and Respiratory Health Association worked collaboratively last session on a new law to help schools prepare for serious asthma attacks in school. The…
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Some gain, still pain
Illinois’ Stopgap Budget Offers Only Temporary, Partial Relief to Medicaid Recipients and Their Healthcare and Human Services Providers — joint statement from Legal Council for Health Justice and Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.
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Speech, speech
On May 5, 2016, our esteemed colleague Justin Hayford, who has been working at the Council for 25 years, was presented with the Liberty Bell award by the Young Lawyers…
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Justin’s 25 for 25
June 1, 2016 Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues: In my first week at AIDS Legal Council, almost exactly 25 years ago, I took two calls back to back. First, a…
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CHECK it out!
University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) recently informed us that the Legal Council was chosen to establish a program at UIC to provide legal services to children who are cared for through the Coordination of Healthcare for Complex Kids (CHECK) program. This will allow the Council to grow our children’s program and hire additional legal staff to handle the significant demand. We will be able to bring on an additional attorney and two paralegals for the CHECK program.
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