Gironde: a hospital justice center will open at the Tour de Gassies near Bordeaux
Patients at the Tour de Gassies medical care and rehabilitation center will be able to benefit from access to free legal information at the facility located in Bruges. The program will begin next week.
The first consultations of the hospital justice point within the Tour de Gassies will be held on Tuesday, September 9. This permanent monthly service will be provided by lawyers from the Bordeaux bar every second Tuesday of the month, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding the month of August).
Emmanuelle Perreux, president of the Bordeaux judicial court and the Gironde Departmental Council for Access to Law (CDAD 33), comments on the importance of such a system: "Access to law is a major issue. Our society is becoming more complex. There are more and more needs, and people are a little lost in the maze of administrations and procedures. They don't necessarily know how to assert their rights. The purpose of the CDAD is to demystify all of this," she explains.
Particular attention is paid to vulnerable groups. The term covers a wide variety of situations: people with disabilities, victims of violence, and elderly people losing their independence. "The permanent office that will open here is right at the heart of the target audience," summarizes the president.
BreakupThe Tour de Gassies center is a unique establishment in the Gironde region. The medical and rehabilitation care provided there covers the nervous system (spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, strokes, etc.), the musculoskeletal system (orthopedics, amputees, rheumatology), burn victims, and geriatrics. "We welcome patients who have experienced very difficult times, particularly people with multiple injuries who are about to discover their disability. It's a major disruption in their lives. Therefore, objective information from a justice point is essential. This can affect rights related to disability, professional and/or personal life. It is understood that separations are not uncommon," acknowledges Maryline Lambert, director of Ugecam Aquitaine.
This health insurance organization manages around ten health and medico-social facilities in the region, including the Tour de Gassies, which receives more than a thousand patients per year. Equipped with a social service, the Bruges site supports them through a Comète entity in building a life plan compatible with their state of health. "Being a lawyer is not our job. Being able to rely on partners is invaluable," explains Maryline Lambert.
ConfidentialityAn important detail: this monthly consultation is free for patients. Consultations will be by appointment. They will take place in a space that guarantees confidentiality. Jérôme Delas, vice-president of the Bordeaux Bar, supports this "shared commitment to access to the law for the most vulnerable." He explains: "Our lawyers are members of the Institute for Personal Injury . They have expertise, a real understanding of personal injury and the care that must be provided to the people we see. This is essential for determining the liability of each party. Knowing that not all consultations will necessarily lead to litigation." To date, there are more than forty justice points in Gironde. At the level of healthcare establishments, these are Charles-Perrens, Bergonié, and Cadillac.
