Oklahoma ICFs/MR: Vision for the Future
A Safety Net for Oklahoma’s Most Vulnerable
January 2012
By the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center Parent Guardian Association
and the Oklahoma Public Employees Association
Summary
The Northern Oklahoma Resource Center of Enid (NORCE) and the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center of Pauls Valley (SORC) have been home to thousands of Oklahoma’s citizens challenged with disabilities since early in the last century. Both facilities are intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation (ICFMR) and receive funding from the federal government through the Medicaid program. Currently, the match rate is 64 percent federal and 36 percent state funding.
NORCE was established in 1909 and SORC was converted to an institution for the disabled in 1953. The combined total population of the facilities grew over the years to a total of 2,300 residents, with schools and farming operations. Since the 1960’s, the facilities have downsized onsiderably, as some clients moved into community settings. The 245 residents who currently call NORCE and SORC home are challenged with severe physical and mental disabilities.
NORCE and SORC serve as a public safety net for the developmentally disabled service delivery system. In addition, the facilities are a critical part of the full continuum of care in developmental disabilities, from individuals in facilities requiring around the clock medical attention to those in community settings that need minimal in-home support.
The following PGA/OPEA Vision for the Future of NORCE and SORC does consider the concerns and recommendations of the parents and guardians first and foremost. The employees of both facilities emphasized above all else that they support the parents and guardians in their choices for their loved ones and are gravely concerned with transitioning vulnerable clients from their lifetime homes.
