Ann Mangiameli has committed her career to bridging the gaps between health care and law across the state of Nebraska.

Mangiameli is one of three Nebraska attorneys honored as a visionary during the annual Barrister’s Ball event held Saturday the Nebraska Lawyers Foundation. She is being recognized for her work in health law through her position as the managing attorney of the Health, Education, and Law Program – or HELP – at Legal Aid of Nebraska.

She began her career in private practice doing “a little bit of everything” and frequently taking pro bono cases. She was introduced to Legal Aid through her work in juvenile court and applied for a position as soon as one opened.

The rest, she says, is history.

“My husband jokingly said, ‘If you’re going to work for people who can’t afford to pay you, you should work for someone who will pay you to work for people who can’t pay you,’” Mangiameli said. “I came to Legal Aid doing the same type of work that I was doing in private practice, but what I loved about it was that I was able to practice law without billing people.”

HELP is Mangiameli’s pride and joy. She helped to establish the medical-legal partnership back in 2009 and has watched as the program transformed from a $25,000 pilot at the University of Nebraska Medical Center into a powerhouse that serves about 2,000 people annually in a short 11 years.

Though she does not have a background in health law, Mangiameli has always felt a connection to the field because of her father’s career as a surgeon.

“I remember when I was in law school, he would come home and be complaining about the fact that he had patients who he knew should be on disability, but he couldn’t help them,” she said. “As a young lawyer hearing about these patients with unmet legal issues, it immediately clicked for me.”

Through HELP, Legal Aid of Nebraska is contracted by hospital systems to provide legal services to patients presenting with legal issues identified as effecting “access to health care or health outcomes.”

Before the coronavirus pandemic, attorneys were stationed at hospitals and working alongside health care staff to address the unmet legal needs of patients. Sometimes, this has meant representing a client who was denied disability; other times, it involves filing lawsuits against landlords over living conditions that contribute to chronic health issues.

“It’s really a win-win situation,” Mangiameli said. “It’s better for the hospitals and the for the patients, because ultimately, you’re dealing with the issues that are keeping patients sick.”

HELP is slowly inching its way across the state, with plans in the works to expand into CHI’s hospitals in Kearney and Grand Island. While the majority of participating hospitals are in Omaha and Council Bluffs, contracts are also held with Columbus and Lincoln hospitals.

Despite the 11 years spent guiding HELP to its current position, Mangiameli is not one to take much credit for its success.

“I merely drive the bus,” she said. “Without my team, I’d be nothing.”

Find more about Mangiameli and Legal Aid’s Health Education & Law Project at legalaidofnebraska.org.