Dear friends,

We’re excited to officially welcome you to Easterseals MORC!
The decision to merge Easterseals Michigan and MORC came late last year after much discussion. It stemmed from one purpose: to provide expanded care for individuals with disabilities today and beyond. There are many synergies between our two organizations, and we saw an opportunity to come together to provide Michigan families a full continuum of care, including greater access to integrated acute physical and mental health services.

For more than a century, Easterseals Michigan has provided behavioral health services across the state, including early childhood intervention, mental health and psychiatric services, substance-use services, occupational therapy and more, with funding from private and public funders. For nearly 50 years, MORC has served individuals in southeast Michigan with long-term care needs such as physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities (IDD).

Over the past months, our teams have been working together to build a solid foundation and create blueprints for the merger and integration moving forward. Over the next year, we will follow those blueprints to construct Easterseals MORC together. While there will be immediate, noticeable changes to our branding, a lot will be happening on the back end as we slowly integrate our systems. A thoughtful rollout will ensure our customized services and plans for the individuals we serve are not impeded or negatively affected.
As Easterseals MORC, we are able to leverage each agency’s programs and broaden our services and physical footprints to reach even more families and individuals across Michigan. With a combined 150 years of service and like-minded missions, we are better together.

How will this impact the individuals we serve?
We know those we serve rely on us, and we promise there will be no disruptions to their current care plans. Families or individuals that previously relied on multiple organizations for their needs will now be able to conveniently receive care from a single, integrated organization – Easterseals MORC. This allows care teams to operate under one umbrella and ensuring coordinated care.
We will not only provide mental and behavioral health services but will also support individuals with physical and intellectual or developmental disabilities from any of our 17 locations across the state. We, of course, hope that we are the organization of choice, however people have the freedom to choose an organization that serves their needs best.

What does this mean for team members?
Easterseals MORC has a robust team of nearly 900 team members, and we expect to offer even more professional growth opportunities to support our team.
This merger is not a cost-saving or staff-cutting measure. There is a place for all our current staff in the new organization. The demand for care is greater than ever, and we believe our combined forces will attract top-notch talent looking for opportunities to serve our community.

What does this mean for our partners?
Our integrated efforts mean that each dollar our funders and donors give to Easterseals MORC will go further than ever. Our coordinated behavioral and physical health services close the gaps in quality care for thousands of people across Michigan. Our donors will still be able to designate donations to specific service areas that align with their philanthropic goals. Offering best-value care remains our top goal.

Looking forward
Health care continues to change rapidly, and pre-merger, both Easterseals Michigan and MORC were in a strong position in their respective areas of serving those in need. Together, though, we are better equipped to evolve and meet the ever-changing needs of the 21,000-plus Michiganders we support annually.

We are forever grateful to our amazing employees, the individuals we serve and our various partners. We look forward to seeing what we will accomplish as Easterseals MORC as we work together to lead the way to 100% equity, inclusion and access for people with disabilities as well as their families and communities.

With gratitude,
Brent Wirth & Dennis Bott