Cook Children’s partners with Texas A&M to offer free legal services to patients
Cook Children’s medical center is partnering with the Texas A&M School of Law to offer the families of pediatric patients free legal services.
The medical-legal partnership will offer families help in dealing with legal issues that affect their child’s health.
For instance, if a child has asthma and the family’s apartment has mold, Cook Children’s will treat the child’s asthma while the legal team works with the apartment landlord to have the mold resolved, Texas A&M law school spokeswoman Erayne Hill said.
The program will also offer help to patients who have chronic illnesses that impair the ability to make informed medical decisions.
The program is available free to families that make 400% of the poverty level or less, according to a news release. That means a family of four with an annual income of $104,800 or less would qualify for the program.
The program will give families access to legal help and give law students at A&M real-world experience. Qualified students will speak with the families of the patients, draft court documents and appear in court.