A Lancaster woman in her mid-50s came into SouthEast Lancaster Health Services health center suffering from severe asthma. She was living in an apartment, her rent subsidized by a housing voucher, and she though that heavy smoking in adjacent apartments was triggering her symptoms. The doctor, concerned that second-hand smoke was exacerbating her condition, told her she should move. The woman was worried about breaking her lease and possibly losing her housing voucher. So the doctor referred her down the hall to a specialist — a legal aid lawyer with an office inside the health center.
The Pennsylvania Lawyer: “The Intersection of Law and Medicine”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011