Guv attends Morton Health's ribbon-cutting

[SoonerRiceGrad]

Morton: Celebration: Health center opening lauded
By KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
10/14/2006

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Gov. Brad Henry and Mayor Kathy Taylor are among those saluting a Tulsa medical facility that serves those who are most in need.

Dignitaries visited Tulsa on Friday to be part of Morton Health Center's ribbon-cutting and grand opening.

Then they left.

Ray Hatton and his wife, Ruth Hatton, stuck around. They have lived for years in the north Tulsa community where the new facility is located.

They were not going to miss such an important day for their neighborhood.

"Morton is a big part of the community," Ray Hatton said, noting that the facility is within walking distance for most residents of the neighborhood.

For County Commissioner Wilbert Collins, the grand opening marked a "dream come true."

Collins was born at the health center's former facility 65 years ago, when it was a full-fledged hospital called Moton Hospital.

He grew up to become a successful businessman who served on the hospital's board in the 1970s.

As a county commissioner, Collins helped lead the push to allocate Vision 2025 funds to build a new facility.

"I think it is a day we've all been looking forward to," he said. "And it's evidence of what can happen when the city and county work together."

The new 60,000-square-foot, two-story structure is the first Vision 2025 project to be completed within the city limits.

It provides primary health-care services to poor and underserved Tulsans. Uninsured patients are charged on a sliding scale based on their incomes.

Mayor Kathy Taylor said at Friday's ceremony that she was impressed with the commitment and passion of the Morton staff and thanked all those involved in making the health center a reality.

"I think it really shows the compassion of our people to take care of one another," she said after the grand opening.

Gov. Brad Henry said the center is an example of good things happening in the state.

"The dedication of this facility today is really a testament to the fabulous things that are happening all across the state," Henry said after the event.

"I think this is an important project," he said.

"This clinic in north Tulsa serves people throughout northeastern Oklahoma, and particularly they serve indigent Oklahomans and medically underserved Oklahomans. I just really support the mission of Morton Comprehensive Health Services."

District 3 City Councilor Roscoe Turner might have captured the feelings of those in attendance best.

"Hallelujah!" he said. "It's about time.

"We've got a facility now where you're treated like somebody, instead of like a number."