Medical-legal partnership interventions and child development: Cross-sector partnerships to address social determinants of health

The challenges facing the healthcare delivery system are multifaceted and complex, with a wide range of stakeholders looking to both improve public health while reducing costs and burdens on the healthcare system. Medical-Legal Partnerships off er an innovative, cost-efficient approach by layering medical diagnosis and treatment with an examination and remediation of environmental factors in patients’ lives causing them to be or stay sick. Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs) go beyond treating symptoms to address root contextual causes that limit child and family health and well-being. Through a holistic approach, MLPs foster immediate and long-term health while removing barriers to supporting healthy child development and healthy families.This paper outlines the structure, services, and outcomes associated with Medical-Legal Partnerships, explores the growth and utilization of MLPs in South Carolina as a case study to inform other efforts, highlights the impact of social determinants of health and child development, and identifies opportunities to strengthen MLP service delivery for improved public health.