Ferris City Manager Brooks Williams presented an “access for all” healthcare solution to the Ferris City Council Monday night, which was unanimously approved.
The presentation outlined an unprecedented use of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”), offered by the federal government, by using the funds to improve the system of healthcare for Ferris residents. In the meeting Williams detailed how healthcare could be improved for Ferris residents by using a mobile and virtual healthcare service that would be bring treatment, education, and personal care to the patient anywhere, anytime.
“Because healthcare can no longer rely on the limitations of fixed health operations, the City of Ferris will provide “Access For All,” which is a new healthcare model and access point for the City of Ferris residents to navigate through each step in their pathway of care,” Williams said. “With funding from the federal government, and no impact to our general fund or local taxpayers, we will create a health solution, for physical and mental health, that offers convenience, consistency, and efficiency through a combination of telehealth, cloud-based data management, mobile healthcare team deployment, low-cost essential medication delivery, and patient advocacy.”
Williams was also quick to denounce the plan as a government-run healthcare program. Instead he showed how it will not interfere with, or even utilize insurance, nor will it interfere with the doctor-patient relationship.
“This insurance is not ever intended to move to that point either,” Williams further explained.
The City of Ferris will partner with MD Health Pathways, a team of experienced frontline doctors, nurses, and certified caretakers that are focused on reinventing how health services meet the needs of the individual in order to achieve health equity. MD Health Pathways will work with local EMS providers, fire stations, social services, faith-based organizations, and primary care physicians to support the goal of building this effective, and leading edge health infrastructure.
To date, there has been no municipality that has addressed the issues of mental or physical help in this way.
Ferris will be leading the pack and Williams concluded “We are determined to not violate the free market of healthcare, but we are also focused on local solutions that meet the needs of our citizens. We have seen too many suicides and citizens that need help to simply turn a blind eye. We believe this is a creative solution that shows if you care about people, you can honor the desire for limited government in the choices we make for ourselves while still providing valuable services to your citizens.”
If you would like to speak with City Manager Brooks Williams to discuss this leading edge healthcare solution please let me know and I will facilitate an interview. Further information about MD Health Pathways can be obtained by emailing info@mdhealthpathways.com or calling 903-254-7898.
About the City of Ferris: The City of Ferris is a city located in both Dallas and Ellis County. It is located along I-45. A rapidly growing community, Ferris is 20 miles south of downtown with a total of 4.8 square miles.
