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There are scarce places throughout Texas to receive elective surgeries and procedures that can lengthen the quality of life for the disability community.
Many disabled children and adults who need dental, ear, nose, and throat procedures lack a place to meet their specific needs.
Now, a safe place has been provided for such surgeries through the collaboration of University Health and Morgan’s Multi-Assistance Center (MAC).
The University Health Surgery Center at Morgan’s MAC is an outpatient surgery center that caters to individuals with special needs and disabilities.
Dr. Ian Mitchell, the surgeon in chief of pediatrics at University Health, said patients can receive dental, ear, nose, and throat procedures at the new facility.
“Things like ear tubes, tonsillectomies,” he explained. “Particularly for our special needs population, sedated dental care is a big issue. There are a lot of patients who in a typical dentist office, and even in those focused on special needs, there's a certain population of patients who just can't sit in a chair for many reasons and undergo dental procedures, and so we're able to do that for those patients.”
The center provides a wide range of surgical services, like neurology, urology, and gynecology, among others.
“In particular, we also have a population of patients that get injections, for example, like Botox for spasticity, patients with special needs that have contractures for a variety of reasons,” Mitchell added.
The sensory-friendly center is painted in calming colors and is staffed with specially trained personnel.
Mitchell said he sees the collaboration between University Health and Morgan’s MAC benefitting the needs of patients across all walks of life.
“This collaboration will help teach both organizations really what the other one does and what the other one can do, and how to turn both organizations into a really beneficial partner that allows us to provide lifelong care for these populations in a coordinated way and in the best way possible,” he said.
The University Health Surgery Center at Morgan’s MAC is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed weekends.
