Caring for patients at the IU Health Simon Cancer Center will now include help with their legal needs, thanks to a $146,000 grant from the IU Health Foundation.

The grant will enable the cancer center to establish a legal triage clinic to address patients’ needs for making end-of-life decisions, establishing living wills, accessing benefits, arranging custody of minor children and estate planning, among many other concerns.

The clinic will be staffed by a paralegal who will be available for patients undergoing cancer treatments. The paralegal will perform intake assessments of legal needs, determine cases in need of action from attorneys, and coordinate on-site, pro bono legal services at Simon Cancer Center and other facilities. IU Health social workers and members of the local legal community will also be part of the clinic’s team.

The people who secured this grant include Ryan Rhome, MD, radiation oncologist, who was project lead; Sara Grethlein, MD, medical oncologist and medical director of the IU Health Joe and Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center at IU North Hospital; Jay Chaudhary, JD, Indiana Legal Services; Katherine Wood, JD, Indiana Legal Services; and Lindsay Proctor, program director of Medical Staff Affairs at IU Health.

To support innovative ideas like the legal clinic or to learn how your gift can help people with cancer, visit iuhealthfoundation.org.