Community Lawyering: An Approach to Addressing Inequalities in Access to Health Care for Poor, of Color, and Immigrant Communities

Abstract

After a long history of overt discriminatory practices in health care, people of color, immigrant and poor communities continue to struggle with unequal access to quality health care. The reasons for inequality in health care include, among other things, language barriers. In the wake of Alexander v. Sandoval, health and civil rights advocates have looked to alternative strategies for improving access to health care for marginalized communities. Community lawyering, which combines legal recourse with community organizing, addresses inequalities in health care by forcing hospitals and clinics to improve services to people in their communities. This Article undertakes a critical examination of community lawyering's potential for improving access to health services for marginalized communities, examining its advantages and limitations as a tool for social, legal and cultural change.

Keywords: civil rights, immigrants rights, language rights