Clinic For Special Children - History

History

In the 1980s, Morton took a special interest in Amish children with rare metabolic diseases. Morton was a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia when he first became aware of their special problems. In 1989, Morton bought untillable land from an Amish farmer and held a barn-raising. The result was a community hospital providing care, counseling, and genetic testing for disorders unique to the Amish and Old Order Mennonite populations.

He initially did most of his own genetic testing and lab work, but now outsources DNA testing for over 30 genetic disorders in addition to the 25 extremely rare disorders he and his team screen for.

Amish and Mennonites near Middlefield, Ohio, have raised US$700,000 towards the US$1.8 million needed to open the nonprofit Deutsch Center for Special Needs Children, to be headed by Dr. Heng Wang, who studied and worked with Morton.

The Lancaster County community holds several benefit auctions for the clinic each year, raising sufficient funds to cover about a third of the clinic's operating costs. Amish and Mennonite families donate quilts, furniture, baked goods, and other items to the sale. The clinic is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity.

In early 2009, the LaGrange County, Indiana Amish community began the process of establishing a Community Health Clinic for genetic research and treatment of rare disorders in the Midwest. CHC is to be modeled after and will be collaborating with The Clinic for Special Children On Sept. 25, 2009 a fundraiser auction was organized at Shipshewana, Indiana, bringing in excess of $180,000 to the CHC fund. CHC is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This midwestern 'Medical Home' is still in its planning stages and once completed should yield a wealth of genetic information which will be very useful in the prevention and treatment of genetic disorders.