Health-Harming Legal Needs equips primary health care professionals with the tools to recognize and respond to legal issues that are injurious to health, particularly among low-income patients. Co-developed by medical and legal experts, this book advances health equity through the integration of legal support into clinical care.
Utilizing a practical, case-based approach, it helps clinicians identify when legal issues such as eviction, denial of social benefits, immigration status, family breakdown, discrimination at work, or criminal legal system involvement may be undermining their patients’ health. It also focuses on several patient populations with unique legal needs, including pediatric patients, people living with HIV, Indigenous peoples, and people living with intellectual or developmental disabilities. It demystifies the legal systems that patients interact with and builds clinician confidence in navigating and leveraging community legal support. Central to the book is the introduction of Health and Justice Partnerships, a flexible, collaborative model that brings legal and health professionals together to address the root causes of poor health. By fostering shared understanding and joint dialogue across sectors, the text shows how meaningful legal-health collaboration can enhance patient care, reduce provider burnout, and promote equity and access to justice.
Through real-world examples and actionable guidance, the book underscores that legal support can make a decisive difference in moments that feel hopeless – for both patients and care teams. It ultimately encourages clinicians to see legal advocacy as part of a holistic approach to care and offers a road map for integrating this perspective into their practice.
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Rami Shoucri and Jennifer Stone
1. Forming Partnerships and Effectively Collaborating with Legal
Professionals in the Care of Patients
Rami Shoucri and Jennifer Stone
2. Law 101: An Introduction to the Canadian Legal and Constitutional
Framework for Health Care Providers
Beth Bilson
3. Health, Law, and Indigenous People
Christa Big Canoe and Suzanne Shoush
4. Health and Justice Partnerships for Health and Home
Andrew Bond and Benjamin Ries
5. Work and Health
Nabila F. Qureshi and Andrew Pinto
Indigenous Legal Expert Reflection on
Chapter 5
Sara Mainville
6. Income, Social Benefits, and Health
Gary Bloch, Anu Bakshi, and Louise Simbandumwe
Indigenous Legal Expert Reflection on
Chapter 6
Douglas Varrette
7. Immigration Status and Health
Michaela Beder, Dilan Brar, Ritika Goel,
Vanessa Redditt, Jennifer Stone, Diana Gallego
(advisor), and Luis Alberto Mata (advisor)
8. Family Law and Health
Anita Volikis, Jamie Ahn, and Kathleen Doukas
Indigenous Legal Expert Reflection on
Chapter 8
Caitlyn E. Kasper
9. Health, Social, and Structural Determinants of Health in the Context of
Traumatic Brain Injury and the Criminal Justice System in Canada
Flora I. Matheson, Promise Holmes Skinner, and Christine Carthew
10. Common Legal Issues Affecting People Living with HIV/AIDS
Robin Nobleman, Debbie Rachlis, Ryan Peck, Devan Nambiar, and Gordon Arbess
11. Health Justice in Paediatric Practice: Childrens Rights and Social
Justice for Patients and Their Families
Sarah Gander, Lee Ann Chapman, and Melanie Laking
12. Estate, Financial, and Personal Care Planning for Marginalized and
Isolated Populations
Naheed Dosani, Edgar-Andre Montigny, and Mercedes Perez
Indigenous Legal Expert Reflection on
Chapter 12
Kate Forget
13. Health Care Decision-Making with People with
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Primary
Health Care: Solidarity to Promote Capabilities While
Mitigating Vulnerabilities
William F. Sullivan, Mercedes Perez, John Heng, and Paula Hutchinson
Conclusion
Jennifer Stone and Rami Shoucri
Appendix 1: Legal Aid and Other Legal Resources in Canada
Appendix 2: HELPS Brain Injury Screening Tool
Appendix 3: Sample Advocacy Letter
Glossary
Contributors
Index
Rami Shoucri has been a family physician in the St. Michaels Hospital Academic Family Health Team since 2016 and is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Jennifer Stone is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and executive director of Neighbourhood Legal Services.
