From left: Barbara Berger Opotowsky; Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System; Cyrus Vance Jr.; Beth Essig; and William Fogg, son of the late Blaine V. “Fin” Fogg.
The Mount Sinai Medical-Legal Partnership (MSMLP), a nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance to the neediest patients, recently celebrated two pediatric initiatives and honored the late Mount Sinai Trustee Blaine V. “Fin” Fogg.
Cyrus Vance Jr., District Attorney of New York County, was keynote speaker of the event held in November at Mount Sinai’s Corporate Services Center. He applauded the success of an initiative at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s—funded by a $1.3 million grant from his office—that helps patients and their families navigate the special education system. Lawyers from MSMLP and The Legal Aid Society in New York City have aided about 200 students since the initiative began in 2018.
“The role of law enforcement in the twenty-first century is not merely to arrest and prosecute,” said Mr. Vance. “We can deliver greater public safety and healthier communities if we prevent young people from coming into contact with the justice system in the first place. This is why, through our Criminal Justice Investment Initiative, we have partnered with Mount Sinai, The Legal Aid Society, and other leading organizations to provide the services and support necessary to help disadvantaged children and families succeed. I applaud the Mount Sinai Medical-Legal Partnership’s commitment to assisting New York’s most vulnerable through its new education law and advocacy services.”
In addition, a new program based at The Mount Sinai Hospital was announced at the event. It is helping young patients and their families address legal issues with housing, immigration, and access to health care. MSMLP also serves patients across the Health System, including legal clinics at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. “We look at the needs of patients in a holistic manner,” said Barbara Berger Opotowsky, President of MSMLP, “and we believe that demolishing legal barriers can help materially improve the health of our patients and the community we serve.”
Speakers at the event expressed gratitude to Mr. Fogg, a Mount Sinai Trustee for three decades and President of The Legal Aid Society until his death in July 2019. “Mr. Fogg’s commitment to service inspired the formation of the MSMLP,” said Beth Essig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Mount Sinai Health System. “I have no doubt that the legacy of that commitment will continue to inspire the lawyers and others who work with the MSMLP for many years to come.”