
Raegan Joern
Host: Rubicon Programs Inc.
Sponsor: Contra Costa County Bar Association
Amanda established the first medical-legal partnership in Illinois to partner with child and adolescent behavioral health providers, allowing her to advocate for improved health outcomes and family stability for children and families with behavioral health needs through direct representation, training, and policy advocacy.
One in five children experience mental illness, yet only 20% of those identified receive adequate mental health services. When these children are unable to access adequate and early treatment, they are thrown into a vicious cycle leading to negative health outcomes and other unmet legal and social needs. Moreover, 57% of these children come from households living in poverty and their rates of suspension and expulsion are three times higher than their peers. Additionally, through custody relinquishment, children can be torn from their families and placed into the foster care system as the only way to access mental health services. This project provided preventative legal care through direct representation, community outreach, technical assistance, and policy advocacy to prevent these tragic outcomes and improve the overall health and wellbeing of these children.
In the past two years, Amanda has
Now that the Fellowship is complete, Amanda plans to:
Host: Rubicon Programs Inc.
Sponsor: Contra Costa County Bar Association
Host: Legal Services of Southern Piedmont
Sponsor: Boston Scientific Corporation, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Host: The Medical Legal Partnership for Children
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Host: Legal Aid Chicago
Sponsor: Pfizer Inc.
Current Fellow