Winter 2005/2006
Welcome to the new Healthy Athletes newsletter. The newsletter will be more concise, focusing on important achievements, interviews with key players in the Healthy Athletes program and major upcoming events. Future issues will highlight individual Healthy Athletes disciplines.
As I look over the content of the newsletter, it reminds me of how far we have come in improving the quality of and access to health care provided to individuals with intellectual disabilities. < Read Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Progress Report from the Global Director, Mark L. Wagner, DMD. >
I became a provider of eye care more than 20 years ago. At the time I graduated, extensive research in a laboratory setting was being conducted investigating the changes in the structure of the eye and how vision develops from birth through school age. The research required the creation of new assessment tools for patients who were unable or unwilling to respond. These techniques slowly moved into clinicians' hands and are now being used for patients who are preliterate, illiterate or unable to provide valid responses. This slow but steady improvement ultimately led to better methods for assessing vision and eye health for patients with intellectual disabilities. In addition, through the development and dissemination of the new Special Olympics curriculum for eye care providers highlighting eye care for people with intellectual disabilities, there is hope that the information will lead to improved access for the athletes. Other Healthy Athletes disciplines are in the process of developing parallel curricula for providers.
As medical techniques have improved and health professionals are starting to be better equipped to provide quality care, we need to ensure that patients know where to obtain such health care. The new Healthy Athletes Provider Directory offers practitioners from all the disciplines an opportunity to register their practice information, indicating that they are willing to be contacted, thus resulting in a resource for patients with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. < Read article on the Provider Directory in the "Dean's Corner," by Stephen Corbin, DDS, MPH, Dean, Special Olympics University >
In this issue you will read about the MedFest program, which is designed to integrate the needs of the sports program with the resources of Healthy Athletes. MedFest events around the world are assisting in the growth of Special Olympics. You will also read about our efforts to secure funding from the United States Congress and about how you can help in the future. We also have Special Olympics Global Medical Adviser, Matt Holder, MD, MBA, "In the Spotlight" in an interview by Randy Borntrager.
Lastly, you will find an article by Martin Wisor describing the Healthy Athletes Software (HAS) system and the movement to put access in the hands of the Clinical Directors. The HAS system allows data from the various screenings to be input locally, then analyzed and disseminated to both the athletes and Special Olympics Programs in an easily understandable format. In addition, the system continues to develop the database of health information for Clinical Directors and local Special Olympics Programs.
We hope you enjoy the new look and welcome any suggestions. If you are not involved with Healthy Athletes and would like to volunteer or if you have something you would like to share, please contact me at SBlock@ico.edu or Randy Borntrager at rdease@specialolympics.org.
Sandra S. Block OD, MEd.
Editor, Healthy Athletes Update
mailto:SBlSBlock@ico.edu |
