When Montaija Mason was nearing her 18th birthday, she faced some big changes.
Living with cerebral palsy since birth, the Eagan teen is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair. She relies on frequent, highly specialized and hands-on care from a host of medical providers. That wouldn’t change at age 18.
And while her cousin, Erikka Shannon, had been her legal guardian — and loving parent — for most of her life, that custody order would essentially expire upon Montaija’s 18th birthday, leaving the young woman with no one to make medical decisions on her behalf.
A care coordinator at Children’s Minnesota, Gretchen Arana, recognized the position the family was in. She referred Erikka to the Healthcare Legal Partnership (HLP), a program at Children’s Minnesota designed to provide legal assistance to families dealing with medical complexities. HLP is made possible thanks to a grant from the United Health Foundation.
Peter Thomas, a lawyer with HLP, set out to make sure Erikka had the support she needed. He and his team explained the process in detail, helping Erikka navigate the paperwork and legal requirements. They provided guidance on how to file for guardianship and what to expect during the court proceedings.
“Peter helped us navigate all of it,” says Erikka. “He took the complexity out of this complex situation. We never had to call him for an update, he was always on top of it. He walked us through everything.”
As the family’s legal process unfolded, it became clear that other concerns, namely housing and dependent benefits, were also complicating their lives.
Erikka and Montaija were set to move into a new home that would better accommodate them. But the property manager at their current location refused to extend the lease to cover them until they began their new lease. The family was faced with the prospect of temporary housing, shelter or homelessness.
The HLP team secured a letter from one of Montaija’s physicians emphasizing the importance of housing stability for her ongoing care and safety. Ultimately, HLP negotiated a 60-day extension of the existing lease, avoiding a gap in housing, and providing Erikka some support as she worked to move her family’s belongings to their new home.
Benefits were also an issue. County agencies involved in administering certain medical and financial benefits that Montaija was entitled to were frustratingly inconsistent and unresponsive. The HLP team worked closely with the care coordinator for updates and ultimately provided Erikka with resources on next steps. After many months of delays and confusion, Erikka saw progress around benefits and services available to the young adult.
The family’s story is, according to Peter, a testament to the power of community agents working together to remove obstacles to a person’s health and wellbeing.
“Many of our clients are referred for a single legal issue,” he says, “and upon further discussion and investigation, we see several more health-harming legal issues appear. That’s why HLP always strives to address as many issues as possible for a given client, with the goal of providing a holistic response to what are often layered challenges.”
The Healthcare Legal Partnership is part of the Collective for Community Health, which aims to improve the health of children and families — both inside and outside hospital walls. Recognizing that 80% of health is determined by the conditions where people are born, live, learn, work and play, and only 20% by their access to health care, the Collective anchors Children’s Minnesota’s partnerships with community, public and private sector partners.
Peter Thomas is one of two attorneys serving the Healthcare Legal Partnership, in collaboration with legal aid organizations Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid.
“Peter gave us faith that it would all work out,” says Erikka, nearly a year after successfully gaining legal guardianship of Montaija. “And we did it together. We all want the same thing: for Montaija to be comfortable, at peace, happy. And with her family.”
To learn more about the Collective for Community Health at Children’s Minnesota visit childrensMN.org/collective.
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