Anyone responsible for the care of a person with special needs knows that healthcare can be fragmented, uncoordinated, and hard to find.

That's why officials with Morgan's Wonderland announced the Multi-Assistance Center — aka The MAC — a revolutionary facility bringing 30+ community organizations under one roof to provide all-in-one care to people with special needs.

A history of inclusion

The MAC is the latest project for Morgan's Inclusion Initiative, a nonprofit that plans + fundraises "inclusion-centric ventures."

Morgan's Wonderland (where it all started) is the world's first-and-only theme park designed with special needs in mind, founded by Gordon and Maggie Hartman to give their daughter a place to play.

Since then, the Inclusion Initiative's projects have given San Antonio the moniker "Inclusion City, USA" + spurred progress locally, nationally, and across the world.

Morgan is there to greet you with a smile. | Photo via The Mac

How it works

Community organizations gathered in The Mac's multi-story, 165,000-sqft facility (within walking distance from Morgan's Wonderland) include medical services like Children's Hospital of San Antonio, therapy services like Guide Dogs of Texas Inc. and TEAMability, and community support services like Project Access and San Antonio Food Bank.

Together, these groups will provide coordinated care with a special focus on SDoH factors, or social determinants of health. SDoH factors include availability of food + barriers created by income status and education level, which together contribute up to 70% of an individual's health status.

Other accommodations at The MAC include extra-wide doorways, sound-absorbing floors and walls, and a café serving H-E-B Meals Simple.

Let's get moving

This Sun., Oct. 2 from 1-5 p.m., The MAC will host its grand opening ceremony. The event is open to all — and when The MAC says all, you know they mean all — and will open with guest speaker Joe Mantegna, the award-winning "Criminal Minds" and "The Godfather: Part III" actor and advocate for people with special needs.

Visit 5210 Thousand Oaks Dr. and see the future of inclusion.