Cancer Legal Care had a busy 2024! To round out the year, we want to share with you some highlights we’ve enjoyed working on.
Record Numbers of Clients Served. Last year in 2023, Cancer Legal Care served a record number of clients- 633 Minnesota cancer survivors! Now, at the beginning of December of 2024, we are on track to reach this record number of clients by the end of the year-if not more. Not only is Cancer Legal Care serving record numbers of clients, but we are proud to have increased the number of cases involving in-depth representation like estate planning, Social Security applications, and insurance appeals.
Clients’ Stories Pushed for Progress. This spring, the Minnesota legislature passed the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act and the law went into effect on October 1st. When the push for this new law first began at the end of 2023, Cancer Legal Care put out a call to our clients to share their stories of medical debt and our clients answered our call in a BIG way. Together with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, we hosted a storyteller training to help our clients feel comfortable sharing their stories of medical debt with lawmakers. Dozens of our clients stepped up and shared their stories with elected officials at virtual and in-person townhalls. Some clients’ stories were also shared at press conferences and a Capitol rally, as well as legislative hearings through Cancer Legal Care’s official and supplemental letters of support. Together in collaboration with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, elected officials, and wonderful community organizations, our clients and their willingness to share their experience with medical debt tipped the scales and made this progress possible.
COLLABS Pilot Study. This spring, Cancer Legal Care launched a partnership with gastrointestinal oncologist Arjun Gupta, MBBS, and the University of Minnesota to engage in a pilot study to document the benefits of early legal intervention for colorectal cancer survivors. The study, called the COLorectal Cancer Legal Administrative Burden Support (COLLABS) pilot, provides cancer survivors a “legal checkup” shortly after their diagnosis to identify and tackle legal issues they are facing and to educate them about legal supports available to them if issues arise in the future. An aim of the study is to educate the medical and legal fields, funders, and the general public about the positive clinical effects of including legal care in a cancer survivor’s standard treatment plan. We are thankful to the Minnesota Colon Cancer Research Foundation for the funding which made this study possible.
The Cookout. Cancer Legal Care is partnering with force-of-nature LaShaune P. Johnson, PhD, to engage in conversational learning about the lived experiences of Black families and communities encountering breast cancer. This work is called The Cookout and aims for Cancer Legal Care to better serve these communities more inclusively in our work as a medical legal partnership. We are so very excited to incorporate knowledge gained from this opportunity to revise and strengthen a variety of elements of our work in 2025 such as educational and outreach materials, community partnerships, and onboarding materials for Cancer Legal Care staff and board members. Most of all, we are incredibly thankful to LaShaune P. Johnson for her determined and inspired work to bring The Cookout to life.
Minnesota Cancer Alliance Cancer Plan 2030. Work is underway to create the Minnesota Cancer Alliance’s (MCA) Cancer Plan 2030, which will play a large role in guiding the progress of cancer care in Minnesota for the next five years. This work is a collaborative effort among representatives from a spectrum of organizations and establishments within the world of cancer treatment. Cancer Legal Care sits on MCA’s Steering Committee and has been involved in the creation of the Cancer Plan 2030 through participation on the committee and plan workgroup meetings. Among Cancer Legal Care’s contributions is an effort to ensure that cancer survivors’ needs for non-medical support systems are represented and established in the Cancer Plan 2030.
We are thankful to each and every one of our funders for their support in making this work possible. We are so fortunate to stand beside our clients and their caregivers to support and empower them as they navigate their cancer survivorship. Everyone here at Cancer Legal Care wishes you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season full of love, light, and hope.
