Medical-Legal Partnerships to Support Trafficking Survivors: Interdisciplinary Coordination for Comprehensive Care

by Lauren Hekman

Medical-Legal Partnerships to Support Trafficking Survivors: Interdisciplinary Coordination for Comprehensive Care

Human trafficking is a complex issue that leaves survivors with a myriad of medical and legal challenges. To address these multifaceted needs, an innovative approach has emerged: Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs). These collaborations between healthcare providers and legal professionals offer a comprehensive support system for trafficking survivors, helping them navigate both their health concerns and legal rights. 

Interdisciplinary Coordination: The Core of MLPs 

At the core of Medical-Legal Partnerships is the recognition that health and legal issues are often intertwined, especially for trafficking survivors. This interdisciplinary approach brings together medical providers and legal services to offer holistic care. MLPs typically operate through integrated screening, on-site legal support, shared case management, and cross-training between medical and legal professionals (Beeson et al., 2013). 

How it works: 

1. Integrated screening: Healthcare providers are trained to identify potential trafficking victims and assess their legal needs alongside medical concerns. 

2. On-site legal support: Lawyers are embedded within healthcare settings, allowing for immediate legal consultations when needed. 

3. Shared case management: Medical and legal professionals collaborate on individual cases, ensuring all aspects of a survivor's recovery are addressed. 

4. Cross-training: Regular knowledge exchange sessions help both medical and legal teams understand the full spectrum of challenges faced by trafficking survivors. 

Benefits for Survivors: 

MLPs offer several advantages for trafficking survivors: 

1. Comprehensive care: Survivors receive attention for both their physical/mental health needs and legal issues in a coordinated manner. 

2. Reduced barriers: Having legal services available at medical facilities lowers the threshold for seeking help. 

3. Improved outcomes: Addressing legal issues (e.g., immigration status, housing, employment rights) often directly impacts health outcomes (Martinez et al., 2017, Richman et al. 2023). 

Challenges and Considerations: 

While MLPs offer significant advantages, implementing them requires overcoming several hurdles: 

• Funding: Securing sustainable funding for these partnerships can be challenging. 

• Privacy concerns: Careful protocols must be established to protect patient/client confidentiality. 

• Cultural competency: Both medical and legal professionals need training to work effectively with diverse trafficking survivors (Macias-Konstantopoulos, 2016). 

Accessing Medical-Legal Partnerships 

For trafficking survivors and service providers looking to access or establish MLPs, several resources are available: 

1. National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP): This organization provides guidance, research, and technical assistance for establishing and maintaining MLPs. Their website offers a directory of existing partnerships across the United States (NCMLP, 2024). 

2. Local Healthcare Providers: Many hospitals and community health centers have started integrating legal services. Contacting local healthcare facilities can be a good starting point to find existing MLPs or gauge interest in establishing new ones (Regenstein et al., 2018). 

3. Legal Aid Organizations: Many legal aid societies are involved in MLPs. Reaching out to local legal aid offices can provide information on nearby partnerships or opportunities to create new ones (NCMLP, 2024). 

4. Human Trafficking Task Forces: Regional anti-trafficking task forces often have information about local resources, including MLPs that specialize in supporting trafficking survivors (Office for Victims of Crime, 2023). 

Additional resources for further information include the Office of Justice Programs’ Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide and the HEAL Trafficking website, which offer comprehensive information on legal services for trafficking survivors and the intersection of healthcare and human trafficking, respectively (OVC, 2024; HEAL Trafficking, 2024). 

The Future of MLPs for Trafficking Survivors 

As awareness of human trafficking grows, so does the recognition of MLPs as a crucial support mechanism. Expanding these partnerships, standardizing best practices, and integrating them into broader anti-trafficking efforts could significantly improve outcomes for survivors. 

By bridging the gap between medical care and legal advocacy, Medical-Legal Partnerships offer a promising model for supporting trafficking survivors on their journey to recovery and empowerment. 

References 

Beeson, T., McAllister, B. D., & Regenstein, M. (2013). Making the case for medical-legal partnerships: A review of the evidence. National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership at the George Washington University. 

HEAL Trafficking. (2024). Resources. https://healtrafficking.org/resources/ 

Macias-Konstantopoulos W. Human Trafficking: The Role of Medicine in Interrupting the Cycle of Abuse and Violence. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Oct 18;165(8):582-588. doi: 10.7326/M16-0094. Epub 2016 Aug 9. PMID: 27537695.  

Murphy, C (2020). Making the Case for Medical-Legal Partnerships: An Updated Review of the Evidence, 2013-2020. https://medical-legalpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MLP-Literature-Review-2013-2020.pdf.  

Martinez, O., Boles, J., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Levine, E. C., Ayamele, C., Eisenberg, R., Manusov, J., & Draine, J. (2017). Bridging health disparity gaps through the use of medical legal partnerships in patient care: A systematic review. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 45(2), 260-273. 

National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP). (2024). Partnerships across the U.S. https://medical-legalpartnership.org/partnerships/ 

Office for Victims of Crime. (2024). Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide. https://www.ovcttac.gov/taskforceguide/eguide/ 

Regenstein M, Trott J, Williamson A, Theiss J. Addressing Social Determinants Of Health Through Medical-Legal Partnerships. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Mar;37(3):378-385. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1264. PMID: 29505366. 

Richman BD, Barrett B, Mohan R, Sangvai D. A Financial Case for a Medical-Legal Partnership: Reducing Lengths of Stay for Inpatient Care. J Law Med Ethics. 2023;51(4):771-776. doi: 10.1017/jme.2023.148. Epub 2024 Mar 13. PMID: 38477282; PMCID: PMC10937165. 

Tobin-Tyler E, Teitelbaum JB. Medical-Legal Partnership: A Powerful Tool for Public Health and Health Justice. Public Health Rep. 2019 Mar/Apr;134(2):201-205. doi: 10.1177/0033354918824328. Epub 2019 Jan 15. PMID: 30644791; PMCID: PMC6410480.