NIU College of Law Health Advocacy Blog

Over the past week or so, I have been researching Medicare in preparation for the presentation Buri and I will make to Aunt Martha’s on Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. I started with some of the sources Professor Boraca suggested and delved into the complicated, frightening world of Medicare. I slowly made my way through a small portion of material available on Medicare. I found several brightly colored charts that attempted to simplify the program and even documents explaining the many facets of Medicare in plain language. As I pored over my research, I tried to make sense of it all and to imagine myself explaining the program, its many parts, and its processes to someone else. I tried to imagine helping a client enroll. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that Medicare is even more complicated than I had originally assumed. I could not imagine myself speaking intelligently about the Affordable Care Act or Medicare. They are topics that are relevant, interesting, and ab...

A few weeks ago, we visited Mutual Ground, a shelter in Aurora for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, to talk to its staff about community partnership. We met with five members of the Mutual Ground staff, including the Executive Director, who gave us a tour of the facility. This was my first visit to a domestic violence shelter. I wanted to know what services the organization provides and how it provides them, but I was unsure of what to expect. I found that in some ways, the organizational structure was very similar to that of Hesed House, and in others, quite different. As we were going through the meeting and the tour, my reactions were similar to how I had felt when touring Hesed House, but they were also more immediate. While taking the Hesed House tour, I had thought about what I would do if I was a single mother with two young children and suddenly became homeless, or if my husband and I became homeless with our children. But because it is hard for me to im...

In the clinic we have learned about and discussed several government-funded programs that aid those who are in need. The most recent program we have discussed is SNAP (Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program). According to Snap to Health, a website that discusses SNAP, the first food assistance program was established in 1939. Snap to Health states that this program was implemented under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration; specifically, it was enacted along with President Franklin’s New Deal program. In 1964, the Food Stamp Act was passed. Since this time, there have been various changes including an increase in monetary support in the 1970s , and a decrease in monetary support in the 1980s. In 2008, the program was renamed SNAP. What is interesting about this program is that there is a high likelihood that the next person you see walking down the street may be on SNAP because this program assists many people. For example, according to B uilding a Healthy America: A Profile of ...

I have been working on several intake forms, which has been a learning experience in so many ways. With each new form, I learn more about what we need to know in order to help our clients. I have greatly benefited from not only making the forms but from also being able to see how we will be using the forms. When I was starting each form, I did not know what the purpose of the form was going to be in the end. Each form had a topic but the purpose was something elusive. I began making each form without knowledge of whether I would be doing the task correctly or not. Instead, with each new form I hoped that I did what was asked of me to the best of my ability and understanding. During my review and creation of the forms I was always trying to keep in mind what we were going to use the form for and what was a necessary part of each form. During each form I would always worry if I was making it correctly, and sometimes I would be nervous that I did not understand the reason I was making thi...

About a week ago, our team toured the Hesed House facilities a second time and learned more about the transitional living portion of the shelter. Brightly painted doors leading to dormitory style rooms line both sides of a long hallway, and furniture sits in the hallway waiting for a thorough cleaning. Our guide explained that this was a very good sign, because it meant that someone had moved out and transitioned to independence. The communal kitchen is large and clean. As we passed through, a young mother was feeding her sons breakfast; they were dressed in superhero pajamas and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their cereal. Our guide then showed us the communal living space, which included a space for watching television, two computers, and several dining tables. Residents must check out the remotes in order to watch television. There is also a children’s playroom that is used for structured children’s programs and can be reserved by parents for private family time. I went into this ...

One of the tasks that we undertook in our foundational work for the clinic was creating a survey that will be handed out to patients of Aunt Martha’s before we begin seeing clients.  It is meant to provide us with a sense of which legal issues might be common or most urgent among the patients, so that we can determine which legal matters will likely require our attention.  Given our resources, we will not be able to address every legal issue facing prospective clients and we will have to pick our battles.  This is difficult because as clinic students we want to take on every challenge and represent every client.  This survey will help us focus our skills in the areas that are affecting the most people. Having completed nearly three years of law school, I have almost lost my ability to communicate with people in easily understandable language.  When such communication involves connecting with persons who may have little formal education and who face language barriers, health concerns, f...

Sometimes there are just things that we cannot understand. I have found myself feeling that way more often than not. This may not be the most understandable position to take when dealing with the effects of poverty on individuals but it is hard for me to wrap my logic around why so many people are struggling with poverty. I know that there are so many reasons why poverty happens, from society to personal. I try to think of ways to solve the problem, that is when I realize that there is not just one problem. How can you solve a problem that has so many aspects? It is disheartening; maybe there is no solution. But I can at least be part of a solution; anyone can be if they choose. Awareness is the first step, but what I have come to realize is that awareness takes time. We are all aware that poverty exists, but what we need is a deeper awareness. A deeper awareness to me is a type of understanding that brings every aspect of the problem together to show you the big picture. After three m...