Name of Host Organization: Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia

City, State: Washington,

Issue area: Health Care

Sponsor: Crowell & Moring Foundation

Karla Hampton is hosted by the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia (?Legal Aid?). Over the last 70 years, tens of thousands of the District?s neediest residents have been served by Legal Aid. Legal Aid?s experience in the areas of public benefits, systemic advocacy, and law reform provides a rich environment in which to implement Karla?s project.\n\n\n\nKarla?s project targets a dramatically underserved population in DC ? the uninsured. Her work adopts a holistic approach employing the different but related strategies of community education, direct legal representation, and policy reform to improve access to health care for the City?s uninsured. Among other things, her project focuses on improving DC?s HealthCare Alliance, the network of hospitals and clinics that contract with DC to serve uninsured low-income residents who are not eligible for Medicaid or any other health insurance. There are approximately 30,000 persons who must rely on the Alliance for health care. Karla?s work enables DC?s uninsured to access health care by reducing barriers to enrollment and care.\n\n \n\nKarla has demonstrated her commitment to helping low-income and minority communities access health care in several ways. She has taken advantage of every opportunity to work with advocates for the health rights of poor persons. As an intern at the Women?s Cancer Resource Center, Karla provided direct legal assistance in areas such as Social Security and Medicaid to women living with cancer. She obtained experience in client and community education at the Hawkins Center?s HIV Legal Services Program. Through her work at the National Health Law Program, she also obtained a greater appreciation for the strategy of confronting national health care problems through litigation, legislative advocacy, and coalition work.