FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland ™ is a unique, one-stop-shop model that will provide medical and non-medical services required for those with special needs of all ages in one setting and platform. These services will be integrated, coordinated and provided through an innovative care model we are calling The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™. Such services will be offered through partner organizations and coordinated through staff members known as Navigators. Delivery will be comprehensive, complementary, holistic and integrated. These services will be based out of a 165,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio, Texas known as The Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan’s Wonderland.
One of the many innovative features of The MAC™ is that we are addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) as the focus of The MAC Care Model™. The model features a special-needs-focused Medical Home, Therapy Home and Community
Support Services Home around this SDoH approach. The MAC™ has been touted as a possible game-changer in the provision of health and social services for individuals with special needs of all ages.
The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ will be based out of a 165,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio, Texas, adjacent to Morgan’s Wonderland.
The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ is an initiative of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and Morgan’s Wonderland to develop a better way to deliver medical, therapy and social services to the special-needs population. After many years of meetings, focus groups and discussions with the special-needs community, we are moving forward to create an innovative solution to improve the lives of our friends with special needs.
Our current plans call for The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ to be open and operational in 2022.
Please refer to “Who we will serve” section on this website for the definition of “special need” for the purposes of The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™. This definition was created by The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ Navigation Committee to have one standardized and broad definition for The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™. The special-needs populations to be served at The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ are the range of conditions that are classified as intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as acquired physical disabilities. Some examples are (not a complete list):
- Cerebral Palsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Epilepsy
- Functional Impairments
- Spina Bifida
- Acquired Brain Injuries (such as strokes)/Traumatic Brain Injuries (due to accidents)/Spinal Cord Injuries
- Down Syndrome
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Visual Impairment
- Hearing Impairment
We welcome individuals with special needs of all ages. A special need does not disappear once someone becomes an adult. In fact, there are many times more challenges for individuals with special needs once they become adults.
The mission of The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ is to improve the lives of individuals comprising the special-needs population. It will do so by providing comprehensive and coordinated services through a family-centered approach with collaboration from the family, client and community partners. More specifically, The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ will:
-
- Assign clients a Navigator to be their guide and partner
- Connect clients to partner organizations that are part of the MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™
- Provide clients with many on-site services
- Track the care plan of the client
- Empower the client with knowledge and information to improve wellness
- Provide clients with a sense of community and belonging
- Just as importantly, we must underscore what The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ will not achieve:
- Medical miracles:
- We will have an excellent care model, facilities and staff, but we don’t promise any medical miracles. The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ will connect individuals with special needs to services and resources they need in a one-stop shop through an innovative model in order to make it easier for them to navigate their daily lives. It is unreasonable to assume medical miracles, although having integrated and coordinated services should improve the overall wellness of an individual with special needs.
- Getting all the services needed/speeding up processes:
- There may be some services that have long wait lists (for example, Medicaid waiver programs or access to some medical sub-specialists). The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ does not control how these outside-funded programs or services operate and will not enhance the capacity of these services to expedite enrollment, but we will connect clients to information they require about the services offered. We will also have representatives of many of these services on-site so clients can get their questions answered and so service providers can hear directly from clients.
- Medical miracles:
If you have a special need and you feel that you may get some benefit from the services offered through The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™, then The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ may be a fit for you.
If you feel you already have identified all the services you need, are knowledgeable and comfortable navigating your services on your own then this could mean that The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ is probably not for you. However, our facility will also be a community and resource center so you can still partake in numerous community services, peer support groups, etc.
Medical Home – The Medical Institute will be the anchor of all medical services provided at The MAC, with a primary care focus. The Institute is designed to coordinate the majority of medical needs of individuals with special needs. Here they receive integrated medical care that will address physical and medical needs, along with emotional and social service support.
Therapy Services – Individuals with special needs require various therapy disciplines and modalities for habilitation, rehabilitation, and education purposes; many will be available at The MAC. The MAC’s therapy philosophy will employ a holistic and interdisciplinary approach that concentrates on team goal setting, provider coordination, and helping clients and their caregivers understand their conditions to improve their health and quality of life
Community Support Services – While The MAC will have the best medical and therapeutic services tailored to those with special needs, it also will feature a lengthy list of social services provided by community-based organizations. Many of these services will address social determinants of health (SDoH), which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age that ultimately affect health and well-being.
Navigation – Everyone with a special need that comes to The MAC will be assigned a Navigator, who will assess each person’s situation and patiently guide him or her to workable solutions to meet their needs. The Navigator will conduct a comprehensive SDoH assessment with each MAC Member to ascertain all areas of need to include medical, therapeutic, social, financial, educational, or legal. This means The MAC Member will relate his or her story and circumstances only once, and the information will be entered into the electronic platform for referrals and tracking and updated as services are received.
We designed The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™ as a comprehensive framework through which some of the services required by individuals with special needs are offered. We brought together organizations that provide these services in a model in which everyone is communicating. Bringing everyone together allows for all partners to derive synergies from working together with other MAC Partners, all through The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ Navigation System. The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ will have its own staff responsible for overseeing the management of The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Care Model™ as well as partner relationships.
Once clients of The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ complete the intake process, a score will be assigned to them that will determine the level of Navigation services required. All of this information will be entered into The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ Navigation System and follow-up will be accomplished through an innovative and integrated electronic platform that connects all appropriate providers (community organizations/providers). This will result in tracking and coordination of connections, referrals and follow-ups.
No. If you are comfortable with your medical and therapy providers, you do not need to receive these services at The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™. To be considered a client, you need to be enrolled and tracked through The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland Navigation system.
If The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ is at capacity, then we would not be able to accept new clients. In addition, if you are assigned a score during intake that determines you do not need services at The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™, then we will not be able to accept you as a client. If either of those circumstances do happen, we will provide referrals to community partners to ensure that needs are met.
A Medicaid Waiver offers services that are typically not covered under basic Medicaid coverage. Services may include respite care, attendance care, home modifications, residential options, adaptive aids, camp, specialized therapies, habilitation, etc.
- Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS)
- Medically Dependent Children’s Program (MDCP)
- Home and Community Services (HCS)
- Community Based Alternative (CBA)
- Deaf/Blind Multiple Disability (DBMD)
- Texas Home Living (TxHmL)
- Star-Plus Waiver
CLASS provides home and community-based services to people with related conditions as a cost-effective alternative to placement in an intermediate care facility for individuals with an intellectual disability or a related condition. A related condition is a disability, other than an intellectual disability, that originated before age 22 and that affects a person’s ability to function in daily life. Learn more about CLASS here.
MDCP provides services to support families caring for children and young adults age 20 and younger who are medically dependent and to encourage de-institutionalization of children and young adults who reside in nursing facilities. MDCP provides respite, flexible family support services, minor home modifications, adaptive aids, transition assistance services, employment assistance, supported employment and financial management services through a STAR Kids managed care organization. Learn more about MDCP here.
HCS is a Medicaid waiver program that supplies services and supports to Texans with an intellectual disability or a related condition so that they can live in the community. HCS services are intended to supplement rather than replace services received from other programs, such as Texas Health Steps, or from natural supports, including families, neighbors or community organizations.
This program provides home and community-based services to people who are elderly and to adults with disabilities as a cost-effective alternative to living in a nursing home. Learn more about CBA here.
DBMD provides home and community-based services to individuals with deaf blindness and another disability as a cost-effective alternative to an intermediate care facility for individuals with an intellectual disability or related conditions. The DBMD program focuses on increasing opportunities for individuals to communicate and interact with their environment. Learn more about DBMD here.
TxHmL is a Medicaid waiver program that supplies essential services and supports to Texans with an intellectual disability or a related condition so that they can continue to live in the community. TxHmL services are intended to supplement rather than replace services received from other programs, such as Texas Health Steps, or from natural supports, including families, neighbors or community organizations. Learn more about TXHML here.
This program provides home and community-based services to people who are 21 years old or older with disabilities as a cost-effective alternative to living in a nursing home. Learn more about Star-Plus here.
We brought together organizations that provide these services in a model in which everyone is communicating. Community organizations with a presence at The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland consist of four service homes: Medical Home, Therapy Home, Community Support Services and Navigation System. Bringing everyone together allows for all partners to derive synergies from working together with other MAC Partners, all through The MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland™ Navigation System
