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A special message
from LAF
Executive Director
Diana C. White
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Happy New Year!
We’re hitting the “Restart” button this week here at LAF. The move to our new space last month went much smoother than any of us could have anticipated.
2011 was a year of big change at LAF. In addition to new space, we reorganized our work into five Practice Groups and created a Community Engagement Unit (CEU) with the goal of working smarter, and being more nimble. The first test of that new structure will be how we cope with the over $1 million cut in federal funding. You can read more about our CEU and see a channel 7 news video on the impact of our funding cuts in this newsletter.
I look forward to using this space each month to keep you updated on our work – who we are helping, and how we are helping them. And as always I welcome your comments – you can reach me anytime at
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Here’s to a great New Year!
Best,
Diana C. White
LAF Executive Director
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Contribute to LAF Now!
Support LAF today with a tax-deductible donation
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Coming Through in Crisis:
LAF helps a client get emergency medication and a permanent solution
Debbie has severe epilepsy, which was untreated in her youth and led to brain damage. She has health insurance through the Medicaid program. Recently, she was enrolled in a new, mandatory managed care program in the Western Suburbs, which required her to get all new doctors, to learn the rules for in-network and out-of-network care, and to deal with prior authorization issues. Debbie contacted LAF because the pharmacy refused to refill her anti-seizure medications prescription. She was about to run out of a vital medication, and was in crisis.
LAF advocated on her behalf using contacts we have developed with the managed care plan, an intervention which enabled her to get a supply of medications immediately. Further advocacy by us brought a more permanent fix a few days later. Now Debbie does not have to worry about going without critical medication, and the insurer has been educated about its legal responsibilities to beneficiaries like Debbie.
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Chicago's ABC 7 Reports on recent budget cuts
Check out the video below!
And read more about it here!
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John Held
LAF Volunteer Attorney
McAndrews Held & Malloy
John Held has been a volunteer attorney at LAF since October 2002. During his time with us, John has provided pro bono service to literally hundreds of low income residents of the Chicago area, with problems ranging from family law to foreclosure to unemployment compensation benefits to consumer cases, and most recently, in Social Security cases. His availability, expertise and background as a practitioner in federal courts enables LAF to provide extended representation to clients we might not otherwise be able to represent.
“Society gave me, as it gives all lawyers, a license to practice law - a ‘monopoly’ so to speak – that has allowed me to enjoy a satisfying and rewarding career. It is only fair and right that I – and all lawyers – should give back to society something in return for the privileged opportunity that society gave us. Giving back - pro bono - is a noble and time honored part of being a member of the legal profession," John says. " I am most pleased that LAF has provided a wonderful and challenging opportunity for me, in some small measure, to give back. Without the services LAF is providing every day, year in and year out, thousands of people would be at the mercy of a system they often do not understand and could not hope to navigate successfully on their own. I am proud to give of my time to an organization working so tirelessly to ensure equal justice is accessible to all."
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Click HERE to view past eNewsletters.
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