Nurses for Social Justice mentors healthcare providers to work alongside public defenders, ensuring that their clients get the

best. defense. possible.

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We are a small, efficient, and extremely productive nonprofit focused on keeping impoverished people from being incarcerated.

We help public defenders find experts who won't charge an arm and a leg,

because they understand that the criminal justice system is racist and classist.


Continuing Legal Education

CLEs for Public DefenderS and Nonprofits are FREE!

We travel cross country educating public defenders for free,

because the more they understand medical evidence the better they can defend their clients.  

We teach attorneys about the U.s. healthcare system and provide resources so that they are better prepared to defend their clients

  • Attorneys are given the tools necessary to locate and interpret lab results, radiology reports and EMS forms.

  • We discuss common injuries in criminal cases, their treatment and follow-up.

  • Attorneys learn how to determine if pages of the record are missing and where to find the most pertinent and concise information in a large stack of records.

  • Participants leave with dependable resources for defining medical terminology, learning about diseases, injuries, medications and treatments as well as a database of experts for review and testimony.

  • CLE presentations can be during the lunch hour, at the end of the day or as a part of a conference.


MEDICAL RECORD REVIEW

We believe that all legal cases involving medical records should have a medical professional interpreting them

  • We offer affordable medical record reviews by unbiased medical professionals who understand the financial constraints of public defender system and take time to educate the attorney they are working with.

  • Follow up is included so that no one is looking at a clock and thinking of cost, ensuring that the attorney fully understands the medical record.

  • We explain the inner workings of hospitals, translate medical terminology, and use images to explain anatomy, injuries, diseases, and treatments.

  • We work with attorneys on trial prep, medical research, affidavits, medical reports, and testimony for criminal cases, compassionate release, and to fight for people who are incarcerated to receive equitable health care.


EXPERT database

a database of unbiased medical experts dedicated to charging fees that are affordable for NONPROFITS and public defender organizations across the country!

  • We mentor nurses who want to work with public defenders, ensuring they understand the racist and systemThe database project is funded by grass-roots donations until we have locked down a grant or in kind donation.

  • Tell everyone you know who works in healthcare to connect with us!

  • Sign up for announcements in the Keep In Touch section!

 

2020-2021 CLE presentations

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Spring CLE Presentations cancelled

Due to the corona virus pandemic we have cancelled all in person CLEs. We are currently scheduling virtual CLEs:

JGrossman@Nurses4SocialJustice.org

2019 CLE presentations

Frankfort, KY - Nashville, TN - Wilmington, NC - Richmond, VA - Charlottesville, VA - Washington, D.C. - Augusta, GA - Jacksonville, FL - Miami, FL - Birmingham, AL - Houston, TX - Colorado Springs, CO

Albuquerque, NM - Las Vegas, Nevada - Portland, OR - Oakland, CA - Fairfield, CA - Santa Monica, CA - Luzerne, PA - Columbus, OH - Brainerd, Minnesota - Milwaukee, WI - Pittsburgh, PA - Memphis, TN

 
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educate

Become more educated about the state of our criminal “justice” system and increase compassion for the humans being traumatized by it.

This is barely the beginning of a list but it’s a place to start.

Podcasts: Serial Season 2, Ear Hustle, Decarceration Nation

Books: Just Mercy, Until We Reckon, The New Jim Crow, So You Want To Talk About Race

“TV” 13TH

 

resources

Healthcare after incarceration

 

Physicians

We want you to work with us, but we also understand that due to differences in how we were educated and the ways we were socialized while working in medicine, nurse and physician concerns about training and malpractice are different. If you are looking specifically for a physician based nonprofit please check out Medical Justice Alliance (after you donate to us, of course).

https://www.medicaljusticealliance.org

 
 
 

Board Members & staff

 
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Jennvine Wong - Founding Board member

Jennvine Wong is an attorney with the Cop Accountability Project (CAP) with the Special Litigation Unit at the Legal Aid Society.

CAP is known for the creation of an innovative database that tracks police misconduct in NYC and is used by state and federal trial and appellate public defenders, civil rights and human rights organizations. Jennvine engages in advocacy and impact litigation in various challenges related to police accountability for misconduct including support to repeal NYS Civil Rights Law 50a as well as launching a Civilian Complaint Clinic and filing a federal lawsuit in response to police brutality in protest policing by NYPD. She is responsible for leading trainings of public defenders and support staff on investigating and using police misconduct information. Jennvine began her career as a legal fellow with the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center advocating for survivors of human trafficking and sex workers rights. Since 2012, Ms. Wong has represented thousands of Legal Aid clients in parole revocation hearings as well as misdemeanor and felony criminal proceedings and trials.


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Christopher O'Brien - Founding Board Member

Chris O’Brien is a 2018 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and is currently serving as a judicial law clerk. While in law school, Chris interned at Philadelphia Legal Assistance in their unemployment compensation division. At PLA, Chris represented indigent clients who had been denied unemployment compensation benefits. He also participated in Penn Law’s Criminal Defense clinical where he worked with the Defender Association of Philadelphia representing individuals through all stages of their criminal trial. In addition to his love of practicing law, Chris is also a singer/songwriter. He has released two studio albums that have been featured on television and radio, including the British teen drama, Skins, and he has appeared as a musical guest on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion. His music has been played over 24 million times time on Spotify.


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Lisa Joy Kirschenbaum, RN, BS - Founding Board Member

Lisa Joy Kirschenbaum is a perinatal nurse in Western Massachusetts. She has over 25 years of experience and has been present for thousands of births. Lisa is a staunch patient advocate and is proud to work at a community hospital. In her spare time she facilitates a postpartum support group for patients of the hospital and is an active member of the JCA of Amherst, MA. 

When she's not in the hospital she can usually be found in her garden, singing or supporting a local organization. 


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Jennifer Grossman, BSN, RN, LNC - Executive Director

Jennifer Grossman has been a registered professional nurse since 2006. She began her clinical career as a neurology-neurosurgery staff nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital and learned the ins and outs of hospital administration as the outpatient Clinical Nurse Manager at Mt. Sinai Hospital's Primary Care Associates.

During her clinical career she began working with public defenders in New York City and then gained experience mass torts, personal injury, medical malpractice and criminal law. She has experience reviewing medical records from all over the country, giving her vast knowledge of electronic medical records (EMR), medical terminology and chart organization - which she shares with defenders across the country through the Nurses for Social Justice CLE program.

Jennifer has too many hobbies including baking, sewing and travel. She is a member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants and the Medical Reserve Corps of New York and has been a volunteer at community medical centers in New York, New Orleans and more recently with Remote Area Medical. She is dedicated to standing up for the exploited and powerless. 


Let’s Keep In Touch

JGrossman [at] Nurses4SocialJustice [dot] org

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