Bridges to Justice2020-09-16T11:17:36-04:00

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Overview

Bridges to Justice is an event for lawyers, doctors and health-care institutions working together to better the lives of children in Northeast Florida.  JALA is in the third year of a five-year, $1 million fundraising campaign, of which Bridges to Justice is a part. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm, on the Jacksonville Area Legal Aid Facebook page.

All funds raised will be matched at 125 percent by Baptist Health and will be added to the NFMLP Endowment to fund civil legal aid for children with medical issues.

2020 Bridges to Justice Award Presentation

2020 Honoree: Dr. Paul Pitel, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Specialty Care

Dr. Paul Pitel

Dr. Pitel has chaired the Department of Pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in Jacksonville since 1997. He specializes in treating children with cancer.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Pitel earned his bachelor’s and M.D. at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He has served on the boards of many organizations devoted to children’s health, has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on pediatrics and hematology/oncology, and has taught pediatrics at Brown and at the University of Florida.

A towering figure in children’s health in our community, he has been central to the development and operation of the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership over the years.

Dr. Pitel is passionate about creating structures that take care of kids. And that’s what the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership does. It provides a system to help doctors ensure their patients’ needs are met in all aspects of their lives and that they have the best quality of life possible.

2019 Honoree: Megan Denk, Executive Director THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson Children’s Hospital

Megan DenkMegan Denk is the Executive Director of THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Under her leadership, THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health is committed to enhancing the health, wellness and quality of life of families throughout Northeast Florida by extending the reach of Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Created to help prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health focuses on prevention, health and wellness, access and community education. Megan led the Community Asthma Partnership’s development of a high risk care coordination model, reducing asthma related admissions at Wolfson Children’s Hospital by 30% in four years.

2018 Honoree: Jerry A. Bridgham, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Wolfson Children’s Hospital

Doctor Bridgham is all about families. He is an experienced pediatrician, chief medical officer for Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and also achieved the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Dr. Bridgham’s believes children’s care should be focused on the patient and family.
Jerry A. Bridgham, MD, has been employed as the Chief Medical Officer for Wolfson Children’s Hospital since November 2006.
A member of the medical staff of Wolfson since 1990, Dr. Bridgham previously served in numerous elected physician leadership positions, most recently Chief of Staff.
He was a partner in Mandarin Pediatric Associates, now a part of Baptist Primary Care, and continues to practice on a part-time basis.
Dr. Bridgham received his medical degree from the University of Miami and completed his residency in pediatrics at the Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia. He is board-certified in pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid logo

In support of the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership:

SPONSORED BY:

Nelson Mullins
Nemours
Northeast Florida Pediatric Society

JALA is grateful to our members of the Bridges to Justice committee:

  • Dr. Bethany Atkins, North East Florida Pediatric Society
  • Meg R. Heiden, Smith, Hulsey & Busey
  • Daniel B. Nunn, Nelson Mullins
  • Dr. Rita Nathawad, UF Health Jacksonville
  • Dr. Derrick Owens, Baptist Health
  • Stephen Pitel, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
  • Katy Debriere, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
  • Jim Kowalski, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid

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ABOUT THE ENDOWMENT

In 2018, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) established an endowment that will provide funding to help protect and enhance civil legal aid for children with medical issues.

Started with funding generated during attorney Michael Freed’s “Freed to Run” effort, JALA aims to raise $1 million over five years to fund the endowment. As part of the Securing Tomorrow Together Campaign that ended in 2017, Baptist Health is matching JALA’s $1 million with an additional $1.25 million, bringing the endowment total to $2.25 million and more than doubling the impact.

The funding will be used to continue JALA’s work through the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership (NFMLP).  JALA partners with Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, UF Health Specialty Pediatric Clinics and Community PedsCare and other health-care institutions to screen for and address health-harming civil legal aid needs in the pediatric patient population.  The NFMLP serves more than 200 children per year, solving legal issues that impact their health care.

“We provide the final piece of the medical triage. Working with the excellent physicians and staff at Nemours, Wolfson Children’s and our other partners, JALA staff attorneys focus on solving the core issues often underlying a child’s pediatric concerns,” said Jim Kowalski, President & CEO of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. “By establishing an endowment with the Baptist Health Foundation, we ensure the NFMLP can assist our area’s children for generations to come.”

The endowment principal will be held in perpetuity, while earnings from the invested assets help pay for legal services offered to children with medical-legal needs. These services include access to health insurance and other public benefits, advocacy in family law, consumer protections, immigration, and ensuring safe and affordable housing.

If you are interested in providing a contribution, you may donate online; or mail your donation to: Endowment, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, 126 W. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

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