Center for Behavioral Health Sciences

Social Determinants of Health

“Assessing the Impact of Medical Legal Partnership (MLP)on the Social Determinant of Health for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health & General Medicine Patients”

Dr. Cathleen Lewandowski is evaluating St. Vincent Charity’s Charity Medical Center (SVCMC) Medical Legal Partnership Program (MLP). The MLP provides free, on-site services to resolve civil legal issues that impact the overall health of their patients. When it launched in 2017, the MLP program was the first of its kind in Ohio to focus on the needs of those in treatment for behavioral health and addiction diseases. The evaluation study included both a formative evaluation to assess the extent MLP was implemented as planned, and a process evaluation, to describe the characteristics of patients served by MLP and the medical and legal services received.

Faculty Affiliate

Cathleen A. Lewandowski

Dr. Lewandowski has submitted an evaluation report to SVCMC that will serve as the basis for future research on the benefits of MLP in addressing legal concerns as a social determinant of health. SVCMC is reviewing the report and applying its findings to improve MLP.

Community Partners

  • St. Vincent Charity Medical Center
  • Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Media

https://www.stvincentcharity.com/radiant/posts/solving-legal-issues-can-...

https://class.csuohio.edu/sites/csuohio.edu.class/files/CBHS_05_18.pdf?_...

Funding

$25,000, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center contract (2018-2019)

Dr. Lewandowski has submitted an evaluation report to SVCMC that will serve as the basis for future research on the benefits of MLP in addressing legal concerns as a social determinant of health. SVCMC is reviewing the report and applying its findings to improve MLP.

Future Goals and Directions

Next steps in this research is to assess how MLP can impact social determinants of healthwith the goal of improving patients’ health outcomes.

Community-led Interventions to Address Health Disparities.

Faculty Affiliate

  • Cyleste Collins

Research Partners

  • Ash Sehgal (PI), Professor, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University

Community Partners

  • Case Western Reserve University
  • Metro Health

Funding

National Institute of Health, U54 mechanism, 5-year grant, Collins, C. (2017-present). Community Led Interventions for Addressing Health Disparities. Role: Evaluator (P.I., Ash Sehgal, CWRU/MetroHealth),

Presentations

Conference papers:

Collins, C. & Farmer, C. (January 2020). Reducing Racial and Economic Inequality through Community-Based Birthwork. Society for Social Work Research, Washington, D.C.

Farmer, C. & Collins, C.C. (March 2019). Birthing Beautiful Communities: Integrating micro and macro practice to improve racial equity for birth outcomes. Workshop at the 9th Annual Cuyahoga County Conference on Social Welfare. Cleveland, OH.

Collins, C., Brown, P., Bronson, C., Hmiel, L., Cherney, E., Farmer, C. (November 2018). Speaking truth to power through community birthwork in Cleveland, OH. American Evaluation Association Meeting, Cleveland, OH.

Posters

Bai, R., Collins, C., Fischer, R., & Crampton, D. (January 2020). “It takes some of the burden off of us”: Facilitators and barriers in child welfare collaboration. Society for Social Work Research, Washington, D.C.

Bai, R., Collins, C., Fischer, R., & Crampton, D. (January 2020). Housing instability and its association with child welfare involvement: A systematic review. Society for Social Work Research, Washington, D.C.

Community-based evidence for improving the health of LGBT Elders in Greater Cleveland

The goal of this study is to determine, among elders in greater Cleveland, whether as the number of minority stress factors (as measured by sexual orientation, gender identity, older age, non-White race/ethnicity, stigma/perceived discrimination and internalized homophobia) and negative social determinants of health (as measured by low socioeconomic status, inadequate health insurance coverage, geographical region, violence, substance use, caregiving, lack of social support and residential environment) experienced by LGBT elders increases in frequency and severity of poorer physical/mental health status outcomes as well as decreased levels of healthcare utilization and quality of care will be reported compared to heterosexual/straight elders.

Faculty Affiliates

Donald Allensworth, Sandra Hurtado-Rua, & Kimberly Fuller

Research Partner

Cynthia Hovland

Community Partner

LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland