 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Mary Helen Witten, MPH, MSW, NCBDDD, CDC, 1600 Clifton Highway, MS F-35, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-3023, muw4@cdc.gov
Special Olympics Incorporated, (SOI), a private non-profit corporation, sponsors athletic events worldwide for individuals with mental retardation. As part of the athletic events, state and local sponsoring organizations may also offer health screenings, as part of the “Healthy Athletes” (HA) program. These health screening events may offer a unique opportunity for state health departments and other healthcare providers to reach a population with critical health needs that are poorly addressed, as noted in the “Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation”. These events may also offer health departments an opportunity to market health services and awareness to individuals with mental retardation, their families, caregivers and medical professionals within the community. Screenings (vision, hearing, oral health, and general fitness levels) are done by health professional within the community. State Health Departments may use data from these events to increase awareness of the health status of this population within the health department. Collaborations may be developed within the community between health service organizations and medical, dental and allied health professional schools as well as policy makers. Access to services for those with mental retardation may be improved within their community by increasing awareness of their health needs by families and service providers and increasing the willingness of local healthcare providers to serve people with ID. Finally, HA is funding demonstration projects to promote healthy lifestyles in broad-based community settings that include families, coaches and care providers.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Disability, Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.