Atrium Health Navicent legal partnership expands services for children

Atrium Health Navicent legal partnership expands services for children The partnership helps patients address legal issues involving housing, health coverage, public benefits and other needs that can affect their health. 29 minutes ago Bre'Anna Sheffield , MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 10-year partnership between Atrium Health Navicent and Georgia Legal Services Program is expanding its work with children and families, helping patients address legal issues that can affect their health and access to care. “It’s developed for patients who are low income, are patients over 60 that don’t have the means to pay for legal services,” Atrium Health Navicent President Elmer Polite said. “And if they need help with things like Medicare and Medicaid and income and employment, food stamps and veteran benefits, this program is there to assist them. So, really good benefits for our patients that can’t afford these services otherwise.” Polite says the partnership helps patients overcome legal challenges that could otherwise affect their ability to maintain a healthy and stable life. “You don’t always think about legal services,” he said. “However, people face conditions in their homes and workplaces and families and communities that sometimes-legal services can prevent them from thriving. Legal concerns can create barriers to health and stability, and through this partnership, patients have a pathway to trusted partners that can help them through tough situations and provide them legal guidance, whenever they cannot achieve it.” “One of my first clients here lived in the hospital for over a year because the issues providing her with a safe discharge location due to her disabilities,” medical-legal partnership attorney Tara McIntosh said. “Through the partnership, her medical staff applied for her to receive in-home support services. We fought a long legal battle to have those support services approved, and our care navigator found her a safe group home placement. The patient client was then able to safely discharge to her new home and receive in-home Medicaid-funded support services.” McIntosh says addressing patients’ legal and everyday challenges can make a difference in their recovery, helping them focus on getting better without worrying about what comes next. “From personal experience that when someone is in the hospital and they have so much going on, and the last thing we want them to worry about is, are they going to have a place to live when they get discharged?” McIntosh said. “Are they going to be able to have food to eat or health insurance to do their follow-up after their discharge? And so, to be able to remove those worries and allow them to just focus on improving their health and resting and not being stressed out, that’s what I want to do.” The partnership is also expanding its reach to help children and families, with plans to provide additional legal support to pediatric patients in both inpatient and outpatient programs. “We have branched out to the children’s hospital now,” McIntosh said. “So, we want to continue to grow our presence in the children’s hospital and particularly help the pediatric patients and their families more so than we’ve been doing, and ideally not only the inpatient children but outpatient children at the Developmental Center and other outpatient programs the hospital has.” Categories : Bibb County , Featured , Local News Tags : Atrium Health Navicent , Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center , children , Elmer Polite , Georgia legal Services Program , health care , legal services , Macon , pediatric care , Tara McIntosh Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin