The University of Connecticut School of Law and Hartford HealthCare are partnering to create a health equity clinic. Scheduled to open in January 2025, the new clinic will combat health inequities and disparities in outcomes through joint medical and legal advocacy and interdisciplinary interventions.
The Health Equity Clinic will be operated in partnership with Hartford Hospital, Hartford HealthCare's flagship acute care hospital. Law students learn about the complex intersection of poverty, health, and law. The concept of health equity and its impact on health outcomes. How can the law be used to improve health? And how health care providers and lawyers can work together to create innovative and measurable interventions and remedies for patients and clients. Law students work with medical staff in the hospital's primary care clinic to examine patients and conduct medical history and interviews.
“We are excited to collaborate with Hartford HealthCare on this groundbreaking initiative,” said Eboni S. Nelson, dean of UW Law. “The Health Equity Clinic will advance and expand our community service efforts by providing valuable legal services to underserved populations. We offer students a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful, hands-on work while gaining experience in the legal field. We have the support of Hartford HealthCare, faculty, staff, and students to make this vision a reality. Thank you very much for your tireless efforts.”
The clinic will provide on-site and remote consultation to Hartford Hospital's clinical staff when health-compromising legal issues intertwine with patient care. Focuses on adult patients with a history of substandard outcomes at Hartford Hospital and highlights legal issues that impact outcomes, including access to health care, food and income security, disability discrimination, and program eligibility. .
“As a physician who works in a community clinic, I am excited about the launch of the Health Equity Clinic in partnership with the University of Connecticut School of Law and Hartford HealthCare,” said Dr. Suparna Dutta, director of the department. Hartford Hospital Medicine. “This initiative incorporates our heartfelt commitment to providing access to care, with a focus on the social determinants of health. It will help address poverty and other challenges to optimizing health. This partnership will enable us to focus on the legal challenges faced by individuals who struggle with systemic barriers. This partnership will provide patients with high-quality, comprehensive care and ensure access for all. A truly innovative approach to
Law students who enroll in the Health Equity Clinic receive extensive training in the social determinants of health, collaborate with healthcare providers at Hartford Hospital, interact with patients in clinical settings, and directly impact clinical care. Identify and address legal barriers. Students will interact with patients and clinical staff and provide consultation services aimed at enhancing the overall service provided by clinical teams. Additionally, law students collaborate with clinical experts to identify and address systemic policy issues that can be addressed through this unique interdisciplinary clinic.
“The opening of the Health Equity Clinic marks a transformative step toward addressing the complex relationship between the social causes of health disparities and the law,” said Hartford HealthCare Vice President and Chief Legal Officer said David Mack. “Through this unique partnership with the University of Connecticut School of Law and Hartford Healthcare, law students will gain valuable insight into health equity, which will undoubtedly have a significant impact on patient outcomes.” By working with medical professionals, they not only learn how to use the law to improve overall health, but also help bridge the gap between difficult legal and medical needs. Masu.”
The Health Equity Clinic will be the only adult-based medico-legal partnership in central Connecticut, joining law school-based medico-legal partnerships nationwide that combine the academic and legal expertise of law school faculty. It will join a select group of partnerships. Healthcare providers who have clinical experience and regularly work with at-risk patient populations.
The clinic's director will be Jay Sicklick, a visiting clinical assistant professor at the University of California School of Law. Mr. Sicklick, who previously served as deputy director of the Child Advocacy Center, spent 24 years as founder and director of pediatric-based medical and legal partnerships in Hartford and New Haven. He is also a consultant to the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnerships at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
“I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity that both UConn and Hartford HealthCare have accepted me,” Sicklick said. “This partnership not only strengthens our unique multidisciplinary approach to addressing legal barriers to health equity, but also builds a hands-on system that blends clinical expertise with intensive advocacy training and practice. It also leads to building.”
The Health Equity Clinic builds on UConn Law's commitment to experiential education and community service. It will be one of UConn Law's seven in-house clinics and seven affiliated clinics that provide legal services to the community while providing law students with practical training in the practice of law.
