AUBURN HILLS, MICH. – Easterseals Michigan and Macomb Oakland Regional Center Inc. (MORC) announced today that their respective board of directors have unanimously voted to approve the intent for a merger of the two nonprofits. The new organization, Easterseals MORC, will leverage each agency’s respective programs and expertise to broaden their services and offer integrated acute physical and behavioral health care to more individuals and families.

For more than a century, Easterseals Michigan has provided behavioral health services across the state, including early childhood intervention, mental health, psychiatric services, substance abuse services, occupational therapy and more with funding from private and public funders. MORC has served individuals with physical and intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) in southeast Michigan through long-term care for nearly 50 years. MORC coordinates primarily Medicaid-funded services, supporting all areas of life, including living arrangements, education, employment, and community integration. Together, the organizations will have a wider range of funding, increasing accessibility to many.

“At Easterseals, we strive to increase equity, inclusion and access for people with disabilities, and believe joining forces with MORC will help us quickly advance that mission. The Board of Directors’ unanimous vote was a powerful vote of confidence in our employees and both organizations’ commitment to continue to evolve and innovate to meet the ever-changing needs of the communities we serve,” said Brent Wirth, president and CEO of Easterseals Michigan. “While we provide a wide range of behavioral health services, many people we work with need ongoing, long-term support with daily life skills, which MORC offers. Until now, both organizations have worked with partners to fill this gap, but the creation of Easterseals MORC brings integrated care programs, complete with case managers, caregivers and clinicians helping people in all facets of life.”

The organizations combined support more than 21,000 Michiganders annually, and already have strategic partnerships to enhance current services, including but not limited to, psychiatric care and the Miracle League Network, a recreational baseball league for children with serious physical and mental disabilities. Families that previously relied on multiple organizations to meet the various needs of family members now will be able to receive care from a single, integrated organization.

“This merger stemmed from MORC and Easterseals Michigan’s commitment to continually strengthen our services, and to help the most vulnerable people in our communities,” said Dennis Bott, CEO of MORC. “After extensive due diligence, we determined that combining our programs, the talent of our staff, and integrating our systems will deliver a full continuum of care that has been missing in our community, and will positively impact thousands more people of all ages.”

Together, Easterseals MORC will have a team of nearly 900 employees and will offer dozens of programs and services for people of all ages, increasing access to quality care for thousands across 17 locations.

Easterseals Michigan CEO, Brent L. Wirth, will serve as president and CEO of Easterseals MORC, and MORC CEO, Dennis Bott, will stay on to support the Easterseals MORC until his planned retirement at the end of 2023. The two organizations will begin integration planning activities in early 2022. Full integration of the two organizations will be complete by the end of 2023 when Bott plans to retire.

 About Easterseals Michigan 

Since 1920, Easterseals Michigan has been the indispensable resource helping to define and change the way people live with, and view disability. As a leader in addressing the disabilities of the 21st century that affect 1 in 4 individuals and their families, Easterseals Michigan empowers more than 16,000 people annually to live more independent lives. Through a continuum of services including, but not limited to, early childhood intervention, behavioral health services, occupational therapy, senior services, and recreational programs including the Miracle League of Michigan and Miracle Dance, Easterseals Michigan creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can thrive in their own communities. To learn more about Easterseals Michigan, visit EastersealsMichigan.com.

About MORC Inc.

MORC, Inc. is a nonprofit human services agency that provides long-term care supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities and the elderly in Southeast Michigan. MORC coordinates primarily Medicaid-funded services that offer support in all areas of life, including living arrangements, daily life skills, education, employment, and community integration. MORC’s mission is to maximize human potential. For more information, visit www.morcinc.org.

Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, Inc. (MORC) is pleased to announce the opening of two new Oakland County offices on Monday, August 2^nd.

MORC’s North Oakland office is located at 6770 Dixie Highway, Suite 200 in Clarkston and its South Oakland office is located at 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110 in Southfield.  MORC’s previous office in Auburn Hills closed on July 31, 2021.

“In order to better serve our community, we wanted to cover more of the county by having two Oakland County offices,” says MORC CEO Dennis Bott.  “The locations of the new offices in Clarkston and Southfield allow the vast majority of those we serve in Oakland County to be only 15 to 20 minutes from of one of our locations.”

To reach either of MORC’s Oakland County offices, individuals can call 248-276-8000.

MORC, Inc. is a human services agency that provides long-term care supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities and the elderly in Southeast Michigan.  MORC coordinates primarily Medicaid- funded services that offer support in all areas of life including living arrangements, daily life skills, education, employment, and community integration. MORC’s mission is to maximize human potential.

For more information, visit www.morcinc.org.

MORC is pleased to partner with Meijer and Blue Cross to make vaccines more accessible for individuals with disabilities.

All Meijer locations statewide are offering special vaccine clinics to accommodate individuals with special needs aged 12 and up.

Here is the process:

1. Text HEALTH to 75049 or go to clinic.meijer.com/register/CL2030.
2. Choose your nearest Meijer store.
3. Your Meijer pharmacist will call you to schedule a personalized appointment and discuss any accommodations that may be needed.
4. Meijer is able to offer a wide variety of accommodations for individuals with special needs.
5. Caregivers accompanying individuals with disabilities to vaccine appointments are also able to get the vaccine if they choose.

Click here to listen to MORC CEO Dennis Bott’s appearance on the The Closer Look program talking about MORC services.

We are pleased to announce that MORC has received a three year NCQA accreditation in Case Management for Long Term Services and Supports, the highest level of accreditation available to us. NCQA accreditation is considered the gold standard for quality in our field and demonstrates our ability to meet stringent national standards as well as provide excellent quality services and customer service in all areas of our work.

MORC is pleased to announce the appointment of Doru Bali, MD, as our new Medical Director.

Dr. Bali received his medical degree from Wayne State University and completed his residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Bali also earned a Physician Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.

During the past 20 years, Dr. Bali has had the privilege of taking care of some of the most vulnerable segments of the population, not unlike the individuals that are served by MORC. Dr. Bali’s experience in the Emergency Department and hospice leadership, in combination with the unique experience afforded by a physician executive MBA, has allowed him to understand the inner workings of a medical organization’s administration including safety, quality, and customer satisfaction measures. Dr. Bali has extensive knowledge of the importance of successful collaboration between community providers and multidisciplinary team to achieve best outcomes.

Dr. Bali also serves as the Medical Director for Lake Huron Medical Center Emergency Department, in addition to working with two hospice programs. He is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and an active member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians.