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In Mississippi’s first medical-legal
partnership, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and the
Mississippi Center for Justice, both based in Jackson, will partner to provide
free civil legal services for people with HIV/AIDS. The partnership includes
the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and the Mississippi State Department of
Health’s (MSDH’s) Crossroads Clinics Central.
The Mississippi Center for Justice,
a nonprofit public interest law firm, will provide onsite legal assistance at
the Crossroads Clinics Central that will focus mainly on HIV-related employment
and housing discrimination. In a press release, Marni von Wilpert, Mississippi
Center for Justice Skadden legal fellow, stated that persons with HIV/AIDS
“often lack access to legal resources. This program will help ensure they are
treated fairly so they can lead productive, fulfilling lives.” Dr. Claude
Brunson, UMMC professor of anesthesiology and senior advisor to the vice
chancellor for external affairs, declared, “While we have made significant
medical advances in managing HIV/AIDS, the ultimate success in improving these
peoples’ lives is getting them back into society as full productive members.
This partnership aims to achieve that goal.”
The demand should be heavy as,
according to CDC, Jackson has the fourth highest HIV infection rate of all US
metropolitan areas reporting HIV infection information. A recent MSDH study
found that Mississippi’s African-American population comprised 78 percent of
new infections. The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission noted that the
state ranks 49th in funding civil legal services. The United States has 97
medical-legal partnerships serving 54,000 patients yearly at more than 275
healthcare institutions.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
