Lucy Marcil: Why doctors are offering free tax prep in their waiting rooms
Lucy Marcil is providing fiscal services to low-income families in the doctor’s waiting room. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
your doctor ask you about sex?
your doctor ask you about money?
compared to most high-income countries,
in the United States.
stress hormone levels
times more likely to die
and I started asking moms about money.
what a doctor's visit looks like,
at a healthy life.
to a surprising solution:
tax credit, or EITC,
we have in the US.
thousand dollars a year from it.
moms and babies are healthier:
who could get it doesn't,
lose of hundreds of dollars
tax-preparation industry.
why we couldn't do her taxes
Why not make good use of that time?
tax preparation in clinics serving kids.
questioning our sanity.
see a doctor at least once a year.
to give them a better life.
could be doing this work, too --
as a tax-preparation site,
students to retirees,
after passing an IRS exam.
I would be doing other people's taxes,
1.6 million dollars
to nine sites in four states.
have never heard of the EITC.
you haven't heard of?
free tax preparation.
for a mom and two young kids
can eat for five to six months.
lack access to care
is only 400 dollars per kid per year.
this access problem.
for her son to study abroad in Spain.
as his shot at a better future.
the causes of poor health,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lucy Marcil - Pediatrician, social entrepreneurLucy Marcil is providing fiscal services to low-income families in the doctor’s waiting room.
Why you should listen
Lucy Marcil, MD MPH, creates innovative solutions buffering kids from the adversity they face growing up with economic stress and poverty. As a pediatrician, she cares for children at Boston Medical Center. She co-founded StreetCred, a nonprofit addressing the health impact of financial stress by providing fiscal services to low-income families in the the doctor’s waiting room. StreetCred increases access to critical anti-poverty tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit by integrating tax preparation services into pediatric clinics; it has returned over $3.2 million to 1700 clients at 9 sites in 4 states since its inception in 2016. StreetCred is now bundling tax services with enrollment in other economic mobility services to create greater financial stability.
Internationally, Dr. Marcil has undertaken pediatric health-systems strengthening. As a HIV/AIDS & Community Health Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, she leveraged public-private partnerships to create a comprehensive orphan care program and girls’ leadership camps. In Bangladesh, she identified community engagement methods to build maternal-child healthcare systems in urban slums. In Kenya, she consulted for Jacaranda Health to transform newborn care systems.
For her work, Dr. Marcil has been recognized with the American Academy of Pediatrics Anne E. Dyson Child Advocacy Award and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Quinn Prize, and has been named a Café 100, Davidson College Game Changer and 2018 TED Fellow.
Lucy Marcil | Speaker | TED.com