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Opinion: Opioid recovery teams benefit from the addition of lawyers

Medical-legal partnerships are a key step in helping individuals recover from opioid and other addictions.

As part of the mental health division of one of the largest safety-net health care systems in the Midwest, we come face to face with the opioid crisis and the lives it claims every day. One important lesson we have learned in treating people with substance use disorders is that we can’t just rely on an excellent clinical team — we also need lawyers to help address critical social issues that arise for our patients during recovery.

Marcia (not done that. If Marcia couldn’t drive to work, she would lose her job, jeopardizing her recovery. If she drove without a license, she risked her safety and her freedom.

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