Word: clinics
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Order Amish and Mennonites (who suffer from a similar genetic disorder called maple syrup urine disease) could not reach major medical centers if their children became ill--particularly since the condition often deteriorates in a matter of hours--Morton and his wife Caroline decided to build a clinic in Lancaster County. Lacking government, university or foundation support, they applied for a second mortgage on their home in St. Davids, Pa., to raise money for lab equipment. Their chief need was for a mass spectrometer that, together with a gas chromatograph and a computer workstation, would provide the technical means...
Grateful that Morton had diagnosed a granddaughter's illness during his early visits to Lancaster County, Jacob and Naomi Stoltzfoos sold the Mortons, at half market value, 2 1/2 acres of land as a site for the clinic. Two Mennonite congregations contributed a liquid chromatograph for analyzing blood samples of children who might suffer from maple syrup urine disease...
...blustery November afternoon in 1990, 12 Amish carpenters and 55 Amish and Mennonite farmers raised the Clinic for Special Children. Wielding sledgehammers, Douglas fir timbers and stout oak pegs, they framed the post-and-beam building by the end of the day. "Now when Jake's mules turn at the end of a row," says Morton, "he often looks to see if I am at my laboratory window. He has grandchildren with the disease I'm studying, and we both hope they can live to work in the field...
...glutaric aciduria does not metabolize certain amino acids normally. The resulting buildup of glutarate attacks the nervous system and damages the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that controls body movement. Once brain injury occurs, a child never recovers. "If it weren't for Dr. Morton and the clinic," Lydia says, "Barbie Ann would have ended up like many of Amos and Suzie Miller's children. Five of them died or are paralyzed because of this disease...
Meanwhile, Morton's clinic has become a model for rural health care, reducing hospitalization for the disorders to one-tenth their historic rates. The Amish and Mennonites who use the clinic do not buy medical insurance or subscribe to Medicare, but instead depend on family and community for help. Says Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General: "Holmes Morton has forced his way into the hearts of the Amish people and, based on that trust, has accomplished a remarkable service...