Morton provides primary care health services.
What is primary care?
According to the Institute of Medicine (Donaldson, Yordy, Lohr, and Vanselow, Committee on the Future of Primary Care, Institute of Medicine, p. 31, 1998(8)), “Primary care is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.”
In other words, Morton and similar Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the United States provide “comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations,” according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). And, primary care is about wellness, prevention, and sustaining health.
The services provided by Morton are in the areas of family and adult medical care, including dental, obstetrics/gynecology/mammography or women’s health, optometry/pediatric optometry, pediatrics, pharmacy, radiology, social and counseling services and transportation among other services.
What is a Federally Qualified Health Center?
According to HRSA, HRSA-supported health centers have a history of providing comprehensive, culturally competent, quality health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations. Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that serve populations who may have limited access to health care alongside offering preventative care to all in our community. Those served include low-income populations, and the uninsured, those with limited English proficiency, migrant and seasonal farm workers, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and those living in public housing, along with all populations.
What are the fundamentals (or basis characteristics) of a FQHC program?
(1) FQHC’s are located in or serves a high need community, (2) are governed by a community board (composed of a majority (51% or more) of a health center patients who represent the population served, (3) provide comprehensive primary health care services, as well as supportive services (education, translation, and transportation, etc.) which promote access to health care, (4) provide services that are available to all (with fees adjusted based on ability to pay); and (5) meet other performance and accountability requirements (regarding administrative, clinical and financial operations) to sustain quality and accreditations.
Who is served by FQHCs?
Federally Qualified Health Centers serve people of all ages, people without and with health insurance, people of all races and ethnicities, and special populations: ALL are welcome.
According to HRSA, nationally, approximately 33% of patients in 2009 were children (age 18 and younger) and about 7% were 65 or older.
The proportion of uninsured patients of all ages was approximately 38% in 2009. The number of uninsured patients increased from 4 million in 2001 to over 7.2 million in 2009. An 80% increase over an eight-year period.
In 2009, 35% of health center patients were Hispanic/Latino. Over two times the proportion of Hispanics/Latinos reported in the overall U.S. population. In the African-American category, 27% were African-Americans. This figure is more than twice the proportion of African-Americans in the overall U. S. population.
Special populations served include migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families, homeless populations and residents of public housing. In 2009, health centers served nearly 865,000 migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families. More than 1 million individuals experiencing homelessness were provided health care. More than 165,000 residents of public housing received health care from a FQHC.
What is the history of Morton?
In the history of Morton, the beginnings of MCHS date back to 1921 when the American Red Cross opened Maurice Willows Hospital in Tulsa North. In 1941, the City of Tulsa replaced the hospital with a new municipal hospital, Moton Memorial Hospital. Named after Robert Russa Moton, a former president of Tuskegee University. In 1968, the facility became Moton Health Center, an ambulatory care center. In 1983, the center was renamed Morton Comprehensive Health Services in honor of W.A. Morton, M.D., a physician with a distinguished record of service at Moton. In 2008, Morton achieved accreditation status from The Joint Commission.
Who does Morton serve?
Morton serves patients residing in more than 221 zip codes and 16 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. We also see patients from southern Kansas and western Arkansas.
When did Morton move into its new location?
As a part of Vision 2025, Morton built a new 60,000 square foot facility on five acres in the Lansing Business Park. Morton moved into its new facility in fall 2006.
How many locations does Morton have?
Morton has five locations including the main office on North Lansing and two embedded centers. The main office is located at 1334 North Lansing, with additional satellite offices at the East Tulsa Family Health Center, 11511 E. 21st St.; Midtown Family Health Center, 102 N. Denver Ave.; Nowata Family Health Center, 207 S. Locust St.; and the West Tulsa Family Health Center. The telephone number for the main office is (918) 587-2171.
What are the hours of operation:
At the main location, the hours of operation are the following: Monday-Friday, 8:30a.m.-5:30p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the main clinic has extended hours until 7 p.m. It is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The satellite offices have different hours and you can call the satellite locations directly or the main telephone number and learn the hours of operation of the satellite offices. The main telephone number is (918) 582-2171.
Nationally, how many FQHCs are there?
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration division of the Health and Human Services, there are more than 8,000 primary health care service delivery sites. At each of the sites, multiple programs are offered in designated HPSAs (Health Professional Shortage Areas). The programs include community health centers like Morton, health care for the homeless, migrant health centers, public housing centers and school-based health centers.
When did Morton receive The Joint Commission accreditation and certification?
In 2008.
What is The Joint Commission?
It was founded in 1951. According to its web site, it “has been acknowledged as the leader in developing the highest standards for quality and safety in the delivery of health care, and evaluating organization performance based on these standards. Today, more than 18,000 health care providers use Joint Commission standards to guide how they administer care and continuously improve performance. The Joint Commission is also the only accrediting organization with the capability and experience to evaluate health care organizations across the continuum of care.”