Do you have a health-harming legal need?
At Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS), we are building a multidisciplinary health care team that can better address health-harming social needs.
A health harming legal need is a social problem that has a negative impact on a person’s health or access to health care. Sometimes an attorney on the health care team can address an issue that is impacting a patient’s health.
To address health harming legal needs, WNCCHS has a Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) in place with Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) to offer free civil legal assistance to qualifying patients.
Pisgah Legal Services is a nonprofit law firm and the largest provider of free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income people throughout Western North Carolina.
Services:
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Obtain and protect patient access to health insurance, social security benefits, food stamps, and other public benefits.
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Secure protective orders and some family law assistance for survivors of intimate partner violence.
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Help seniors stay in their homes, plan for end of life, and avoid financial or physical abuse.
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Expunge criminal records and driver’s license restoration.
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Prevent or delay eviction or foreclosure and improve housing conditions.
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Help vulnerable immigrants who are the victims of violence or human trafficking.
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Help veterans maintain housing and veteran’s benefits.
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Help low-income individuals file their taxes and receive stimulus checks.
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Provide information and advocacy concerning Medicaid benefits through the NC Medicaid Ombudsman Program.