Preparing for a Leadership Transition
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Samantha Morton is stepping down as MLPB’s CEO this year, a decision she has made in connection with new elder caregiving responsibilities. During her tenure, MLPB’s capacity-building reach in Massachusetts and Rhode Island has broadened and deepened through its team-facing legal partnering innovation – equipping medically- and community-based care teams with legal information and tools that promote more effective problem-solving with the people they serve. “Samantha’s human-centeredness and astute read of the evolving healthcare ecosystem have been transformative for the organization, our partners and collaborators, and the social health field,” says Kirsten Meisinger, former Medical Staff President and Regional Medical Director at Cambridge Health Alliance and MLPB Advisory Board member. “Our partnership with MLPB, under Samantha’s visionary and enthusiastic leadership, has helped us to expand our social health strategy and programming,” notes Kim Prendergast, Senior Director, Social Health – Community Care Cooperative.
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It’s time for the 4th annual RI Life Index Survey

MLPB is proud to be a part of the RI Life Index Coalition.
The RI Life Index, led in partnership by Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island and Brown University School of Public Health, compiles information from confidential phone surveys across Rhode Island to help the coalition learn how to build healthier communities across the state.
Learn more about the survey and view findings from the 2021 RI Life Index here: www.rilifeindex.org
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Are you attending the 2022 Virtual Social Work Symposium?
Join us for: Strengthening the Social Care Toolbox With Legal Education
Over the past two years, new evidence bolstering the link between rights education and quality of care has been generated through the Housing Prescriptions as Health Care pilot and the DULCE (Developmental Understanding and Legal Collaboration for Everyone) national learning network.
On April 29, join us and key collaborators at the Symposium to explore how legal information and rights education is animating care redesign in communities across the country. This panel will feature:
- Kate Gannon, Law & Policy Consultant – MLPB
- Azieb Ermias, Senior Associate and Project Director for DULCE – Center for the Study of Social Policy
- Allison Bovell-Ammon, Director of Policy Strategy – Children’s HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center
Thank you for hosting this important conversation, NASW-MA!
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. . . to our 2022 spring interns!

Anita Aimufia
I am a Senior at the University of Massachusetts Boston, majoring in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Biology. As an upcoming graduate, I plan to attend school for my Masters in the Public Health, Concentration specifically in Biostatistics. My time at MLPB will be spent learning and understanding the problems that affect the community and what resources are available and accessible to them, helping to strengthen my passion for helping people.

Chloe Lo
I’m a senior at Boston University, majoring in Health Science. At Boston University, I am involved with the Badminton Club and Wizards, a club aimed at promoting STEM education to students in Boston public schools. Last summer, I interned at a law firm in Hong Kong which finalized my decision to apply to law school. Since my interests also lie within the health sciences, I am extremely excited to learn more about how law and public health are interconnected.

Liana Safa
I’m a senior at Boston University, majoring in Health Science. At Boston University, I am I’m a junior at Boston University majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Public Health. I’m a strong advocate for health equity and accessibility and I’m planning on pursuing a future career in law. In addition to interning at MLPB this spring, I’m also the founder and president of INARA at BU, a network of Boston University students, faculty, & community connecting war-wounded children with life-saving medical assistance. This internship has been an extremely informative and eye-opening experience that has given me a greater understanding of how the worlds of health and law collide to fight for health justice and equity. I look forward to continuing this journey at MLPB!
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Access to Justice, Civil Rights & Health
- Strengthening The Medicaid Reentry Act — Supporting The Health Of People Who Are Incarcerated (The New England Journal of Medicine, Apr. 21, 2022)
- Latino Health Access Tenant Counselors Address Community Health, Housing Needs (The Kresge Foundation, Apr. 5, 2022)
- Where State Farm Sees ‘A Lot Of Fraud,’ Black Customers See Discrimination (The New York Times, Mar. 18, 2022)
- Towards Racial Justice: The Role Of Medical-Legal Partnerships (Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Mar. 4, 2022)
Disparities, Equity & Social Health Integration
- Ensuring Health Care Cost Growth Targets Promote Health Equity (The Milbank Quarterly, Apr. 13, 2022)
- Research Finds Stark Racial Disparities In How Boston Responds To Unhealthy Conditions That Trigger Asthma (The Boston Globe, Apr. 11, 2022)
- Health-Related Social Needs Among Older Adults Enrolled In Medicare Advantage (Health Affairs, Apr. 2022) Subscription required
- New Survey Uncovers 6 In 10 Physicians Lack, But 9 In 10 Want, The Time And Ability To Address Patients’ Social Drivers Of Health (The Physicians Foundation, Mar. 22, 2022)
Employment, Income Supports & Health
- Not Ready For The End Game — Why Ending Federal Covid-19 Emergency Declarations Will Harm Access To Care (The New England Journal Of Medicine, Apr. 21, 2022)
- A Policy Equity Analysis Of The EITC (diversitydatakids.org, Apr. 20, 2022)
- Unemployment, Behavioral Health, And Suicide (Health Affairs, Apr. 7, 2022)
- The End Of The Covid Emergency Could Mean A Huge Loss Of Health Insurance (The New York Times, Apr. 4, 2022)
- Guaranteed Income – States Lead The Way In Reimagining The Social Safety Net (Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Apr. 2022)
Housing & Health
- More Than Half Of Rhode Island’s Lowest-Income Renters Are At Risk Of Homelessness (The Boston Globe, Apr. 21, 2022)
- R.I. Bill Would Ban ‘Love Letters’ From Prospective Home Buyers (The Boston Globe, Apr. 4, 2022)
- Unequal Housing Conditions And Code Enforcement Contribute To Asthma Disparities In Boston, Massachusetts (Health Affairs, Apr. 2022) Subscription required
- Eviction Rates In Communities Of Color Higher During Pandemic, Report Finds (The Boston Globe, Mar. 22, 2022)
Immigration & Health
- Misusing Public Health As A Pretext To End Asylum — Title 42 (The New England Journal of Medicine, Apr. 21, 2022)
- ICE Lawyers Directed To Clear Low-Priority Immigration Cases (The New York Times, Apr. 4, 2022)
Maternal and Child Health
- Every Child Deserves Good Health. That Requires Urgent Action On Equity (The Boston Globe, Apr. 5, 2022)
- Between A Rock And A Hard Place: Why The US Child Care System Is Broken, And How We Can Start To Fix It (Children’s HealthWatch, Apr. 4, 2022)
- How 2 Industries Stymied Justice For Young Lead Paint Victims (The New York Times, Mar. 29, 2022)