Legal Action: Doctors Step in When Landlords Neglect Asthma Triggers

Doctors at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. are partnering with lawyers to address poor housing conditions that exacerbate asthma in low-income children. The Healthy Together Program, a medical-legal partnership, helps families by documenting health-harming conditions in their homes and pressuring landlords to make repairs. If the landlord fails to comply, legal action is taken. Research shows that after legal interventions, children with asthma experience fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Some insurers and hospital systems are now subsidizing these legal interventions, recognizing the impact of social needs on health outcomes. Medical-legal partnerships have gained interest and support across the country, with about 500 such partnerships in existence.