Community Health Law Project

The Community Health Law Project (CHLP) is growing! We have two new positions open for our regional office in Westmont, New Jersey: A Staff Navigator/Advocate who will conduct education, outreach, and application assistance for the NJSave Program in Atlantic County, NJ. An Intake Worker/Program Coordinator who will be screening potentially eligible clients, coordinating outreach events, and completing monthly reports for the NJSave Program in Atlantic County, NJ. NJSave is an online application to help low-income older adults and individuals with disabilities save money on Medicare premiums, prescription costs and other living expenses. Learn more: Senior Save Navigator/Advocate: https://lnkd.in/eMfBC2iv Senior Save Intake Worker/Program Coordinator: https://lnkd.in/eRZAqcFH

The Community Health Law Project (CHLP) seeks a full-time Staff Attorney for our regional office in Neptune, New Jersey. The attorney will provide representation in landlord/tenant matters, public benefits matters, family law matters, consumer issues, and guardianships, among other civil legal matters. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eGBx9j7R

One in three LGBTQ+ adults (36%) report having a disability, compared with one in four (24%) non-LGBTQ+ adults, according to the Human Rights Campaign. More than half of transgender adults report having a disability.    Disabled LGBTQ+ individuals face additional hardships and discrimination. Please join us in recognizing this community and working to alleviate their challenges.     #pride #disability #inclusion #thebarriersweface

Please join us on June 27, 2024, at 12 pm for an informative webinar about the benefits of developing medical-legal partnerships to help improve the health outcomes of our most vulnerable residents. CHLP's President/Executive Director, Erika Kerber, Esq., will present in collaboration with the New Jersey Statewide Network for Cultural Competence (NJSNCC). #njsncc #ncmlp #sdoh #integratedcare #law #medicallegalpartnerships Register here: https://bit.ly/3RpWkZT

Sherri Ruggieri, Senior Staff Attorney in CHLP’s Neptune office, successfully represented a 14-year-old non-verbal child, with Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder, at an administrative law hearing. She negotiated a settlement agreement between the Board of Education and the child’s parents that resulted in the school district agreeing to hire a full-time interpreter for the child to bridge the communication gap, whether through sign language or other means. Ruggieri, herself the mother of a daughter on the autism spectrum, could relate to the needs of the child and his parents. Says Sherri, “I learned that the Board of Education was not my adversary in this matter. Ultimately, we were allies seeking what was best for the student.” She expects the child’s behavior to improve once he has the tools to better communicate. She describes her advocacy as a “labor of love – my opportunity to pay forward the kindnesses I received over the years as a parent.”

The Toms River Senior Center recently held a Senior Health Fair and CHLP's Neptune office had a table, staffed by Managing Attorney Rebecca Kolas and Senior Attorney Lauren Cheney (pictured). Approximately 200 seniors attended the event, which had dozens of vendors in attendance. Those in attendance who stopped by to talk were educated on CHLP's services and our new foreclosure grant. CHLP staff continually conduct outreach to the communities we serve.

CHLP's Bloomfield office assisted a client who fell behind on rent due to complications of Long COVID. The client lost her job and did not feel well enough to return to work. She had previously applied for rental assistance, but her landlord refused to sign the paperwork and filed a court action to evict her. Our office filed a motion to dismiss the case based on the landlord's refusal to accept the rental assistance payments. The judge agreed with our attorney that the landlord had to accept the payments. As a result, the case was dismissed and our client and her son remained housed.

We welcome to the CHLP Board of Trustees Robert Like, MD, MS, FAAFP, an Emeritus Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and CEO, JEDI Health Care and Education, LLC. Dr. Like is a board-certified family physician with a background in medical anthropology and is nationally known for his work in the areas of cultural competence, equity in health and health care, and health professions education. Dr. Like is currently Chair of the New Jersey Statewide Network for Cultural Competence and Co-Chair of the Medical Society of New Jersey's JEDI Task Force.   Says Dr. Like, "I am excited to join the Board of an organization whose mission is so closely aligned with my own priorities. In particular, I look forward to helping support the creation of medical-legal partnerships and improving the quality of services provided by the CHLP to our state’s diverse populations and communities."   CHLP is thrilled to have Dr. Like join our board.

  Thank you to the New Jersey State Bar Foundation for partnering with us once again to co-sponsor another great Law & Disability conference. And thank you to our stellar panelists for sharing their expertise on very timely topics. We hope those in attendance gained valuable knowledge about recent state initiatives and law-related issues affecting individuals with disabilities. #njsbf