Director of Chicago Medical Legal Partnership for Children at Health & Disability Advocates accepts PILI Distinguished Intern Alumni Award.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 16, 2012

PILI connects law students, graduates and law firms with opportunities to provide pro bono legal services as part of fostering an overall culture of service and commitment in the legal profession. The annual award is bestowed upon a former intern whose work epitomizes the ideal of justice for all.

In accepting the award, Amy thanked PILI for helping her realize that, ...if I wanted to make a difference, I didnt have to travel halfway across the world...I could make a difference at home...PILI became my entre into the real life challenges of the disenfranchised in Chicago.

As a law student, Amy Zimmerman served as a PILI Intern at the American Jewish Congress after her first year at Northwestern University School of Law. Since then, Amy has devoted her legal career to children's health advocacy, program and policy analysis and community-based partnerships. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences, and serves on numerous advisory boards and committees including the Attorney Generals Special Education Advisory Committee, the Early Learning Councils Systems Integration and Alignment Heath Subcommittee, the Illinois Early Intervention Interagency Councils Service Delivery Approaches workgroup, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics EDOPC Policy and Legislative Advisory Committee, the Premature Infants Health Network, and the Governors Lead Safe Housing Advisory Council.

Celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, PILI also honored Deere & Company (Pro Bono Initiative Award), Judge Edmond E. Chang (Distinguished PILI Fellow Alumni Award) and Harvey Grossman (Distinguished Public Service Award). The event also commemorated important milestones and impact of this unique resource to the Illinois legal community.

PILI is nationally respected for cultivating a remarkably unique, strong and collaborative pro bono community in Chicago and across Illinois. PILI fills a void that would otherwise exist if it werent there, says Lee Ann Russo, president of the PILI board of directors and partner at Jones Day, By bringing together law firms, corporations, law schools, retirees... [PILI] enables individuals who otherwise dont have access to justice to have it. Adds Northwestern Law School professor Cindy Wilson, When I talk to my colleagues in law schools around the country, they are in envy of what we have here.

Since joining Health & Disability Advocates in 2006, a national health, education and employment nonprofit based in Chicago, Amy has led the Chicago Medical Legal Partnership for Children. This pioneering program joins two powerful professions law and medicine to improve the health and economic security of vulnerable people and places. One of the first such innovative projects in the nation, the Chicago project works closely with partner sites at Lurie Childrens Hospital, La Rabida Childrens Hospital, University of Chicagos Comer Childrens Hospital, Friend Family FQHC and specialty care clinics.

The idea of looking at social determinants of health and recognizing that without impacting social factors, health outcomes can and often will be compromised this is the cornerstone of medical legal partnerships. Our approach involves direct representation, training and technical assistance at our partnership sites and systemic advocacy. In keeping with the core values that underpin PILIs work, we focus the bulk of our trainings on medical residentsendeavoring to imbue these future medical leaders with the tools to both understand the value of legal assistance to their patients and their medical practice and the ability to recognize a legal need, hopefully preventativelyso that legal assistance is available before a crisis occurs.

Amy has also provided leadership to growing medical legal partnerships (MLPs) nationwide, spearheaded legislative initiatives and helped implement groundbreaking health policies including changes to: the Illinois Childrens Product Safety Act on recall requirements, the Illinois School Code on classroom access and home and hospital instruction and the Early Intervention Services System Act, as well as a first-in-nation district-wide asthma policy for Chicago Public Schools. Her work on behalf of children and families has also included individual and class action representation.

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Public Interest Law Initiative Honors Amy Zimmerman, Illinois Child Health Advocate with Prestigious Award