Spotlighting a Rhode Island Partnership at NACHC’s P&I Forum
Earlier this month, Jeannine Casselman, Legal Key Law & Policy Director, traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the National Association of Community Health Centers Policy & Issues Forum 2026. She and Legal Key partner Blackstone Valley Community Health Care hosted a session called “Integrating Legal Supports in Multidisciplinary Care at Community Health Centers.” At the session, they explored some real world case examples illustrating how legal supports can reduce provider burden, enhance whole-person care, and advance health fairness.
(L-R) Jeannine Casselman, Legal Key Law and Policy Director; and BVCHC staff Manuela Andres, Integrated Health Clinician; Scott Hewitt, Associate Director of Integrated Care; Dr. Morgan Motia, Chief Medical Officer
Rapidly Changing Laws Require Updated and Accurate Legal Information
| Legal Key’s interactive trainings provide education and resources about laws and legal rights that impact health and well-being, building the capacity of care teams to know and use the law confidently and appropriately to benefit families. Our most recent Unlocking Access® training was a 2026 Policy Preview, designed for both Rhode Island and Massachusetts care teams and covered recent and anticipated changes to federal and state law that impact health. |
| Reach out to our Partnership & Project Manager, Jeff Gilbert at jgilbert@legalkeypartnership.org, for more information about our training offerings. |
Amy Copperman and Jeannine Casselman, Legal Key’s Executive Director and Law & Policy Director, will be speaking at the 2026 Medical-Legal Partnership Conference “Bridging Systems and Restoring Trust through Collaboration” this April. In a time when trust in health care, science and the rule of law is being tested, this conference brings together professionals who are leading the response. Amy and Jeannine will be hosting a workshop “Beyond Patient Outcomes: How a medical-legal partnership impacts health care systems and their workforce.”
The Annual Winter Utility Shut-Off Moratorium Continues to be in Effect
| Massachusetts Utility shut-off protections run through April 1. Low-income households that have filed for shut-off protection cannot be terminated from their utilities during the winter moratorium. Visit Legal Key’s MA Digital Digest-Utility Needs page for more information on local fuel assistance programs and applications. |
| Rhode Island Utility disconnections are not permitted for customers (or their household members) if they are unemployed, elderly or disabled, receive LIHEAP, are seriously ill, or have an infant under age 2 and have a financial hardship. Visit Legal Key’s RI Digital Digest-Utilities page for information on other energy assistance programs and links to other support. |
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© 2026 Third Sector New England, Inc., on behalf of Legal Key, All Rights Reserved
Legal Key Partnership for Health and Justice envisions a society where information about legal rights and systems is widely accessible and used to help people to thrive. To realize this vision, Legal Key’s mission is to create access to legal knowledge for health and social service sectors and empowers those communities to use legal problem-solving to improve wellbeing. Through legal education, workforce support and social care program design, Legal Key impacts systems, care professionals, and the individuals they serve.
Legal Key is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England.
Information contained in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship.
