CHOP Alumnus Honored for Bringing Advanced Medicine to Amish Community
Published on in CHOP in the Media
Holmes Morton, MD, a former CHOP doctor, was honored in The Philadelphia Inquirer for his groundbreaking work bringing advanced medicine to a small Lancaster County clinic to treat Amish and Mennonite children with rare genetic disorders.
When he founded the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg 25 years ago, Dr. Morton thought he might find 10 to 20 new diseases in his career. As of 2014, the clinic identifies five to 10 gene mutations a year and houses a freezer containing 8,000 DNA samples from patients that provide the foundation for understanding as-yet-unidentified diseases.
With a staff of 14 and an annual budget of $2.6 million — one-third funded by quilt auctions, the rest by fees and donations — the clinic has been able to offer its largely uninsured patients services at a fraction of a hospital's cost.