Mona M. Counts, Ph.D., CRNP, FNAP, FAANP

Elouise Ross Eberly Professor, The Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing
Clinical Director, Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris, Inc.
Past President, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

"Culturally Specific Health Care"

In 1988, after traveling for years, visiting every continent, and working in many of them, Mona Counts finally settled down to a farm in rural Pennsylvania.

Finding a people she loved and a community in need of healthcare access, Dr. Mona Counts co-founded Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris and later, their mobile clinic to address the specific problems of the people within the area. Having been involved in teaching and development of Nurse Practitioner programs for over 24 years, she had decided to run the clinic using Nurse Practitioners exclusively - the first such clinic in the nation. During a study conducted with 15 graduate students, it was determined that individuals living in areas such as this responded best to medical care tailored to their culture. Dr. Counts calls this "Culturally Specific Health Care". They wanted healthcare workers who would take the time to understand their culture and not leave, listen and not talk down to them, and deliver care that helped them without just telling them what to do.

Dr. Counts attributes the success of the Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris to the decision to use Nurse Practitioners as the primary care providers. Given the location of the clinic and culture of the population it served, this choice provided the type of care ideally suited to their way of life. Traditional medical models had not been well received within the communities they sought to serve, but by incorporating the findings of her study into everyday practice, the practice is growing.

"A New Healthcare Model"

Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris (PCC) has become a model of a type of health care resource that can be replicated by nurse practitioners around the country. Dr. Counts has become an advocate for nurse practitioner rights and a leader for systems charge. Much of this change required changing the public perception of what a nurse practitioner is and what they can be.

Dr. Counts recalls that when PCC was first established, hospitals refused to take orders for routine tests or allow the clinic’s providers staff privileges; insurance companies refused to recognize nurse practitioners as independent providers; state regulations included language that prohibited nurse practitioners to practice without physician oversight; local physicians excluded the PCC’s nurse practitioner providers from local health networks. However, through persistence, diligence and determination, Dr. Counts was instrumental in changing both state and national policy to allow future generations of nurse practitioners to fully utilize their knowledge and skills to meet health care needs of the populations they serve. 

The Future of Culturally Specific Health Care

Dr. Mona Counts believes that "Culturally Specific Health Care" needs to be in every curriculum and in every health care profession. By incorporating community based health care tailored to culturally specific aspects of the population being served, success is maximized.

Nursing students, interns and residents have come from all over the country to study at PCC.  Dr. Counts efforts to work in concert with the National Nursing Centers Consortium, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Nurse Practitioners, Institute for Nursing Centers and other advanced practice nursing groups. She has an impact on students at Pennsylvania State University and other higher education institutions around the county who come to the PCC for education, and continues to significantly change the face of health care today.

The Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris is a Non-profit (501 c 3) and relies on donations and grants to continue with the services they offer.

Primary Care Center of Mt. Morris, Inc.

104 Front Street, Box 495

Mt. Morris, PA 15349