Healthy Communities Creating Brighter, Healthier Future For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities
By: Sally Cohen
Tags: Disability, Discrimination, Health, Healthcare, Leadership

Bhavya, 18 years old, lives east of New Delhi, India. Recently, he visited a dentist at the Divya Joti College of Dental Sciences and Research. Bhavya was happy to sit and wait in the waiting room and once called back, enthusiastically took in new tooth brushing techniques. However, when it was time for the examination, he was too scared to get into the dentist’s chair and refused to open his mouth. Bhavya’s reaction is the result of examinations in the past that have ignored his needs. Over the course of several weeks following this incident, the clinic staff invited Bhavya back multiple times. Each time, they introduced him to new pieces of the exam and equipment in order to prepare him for the full exam that they were unable to do originally. As a result of these visits, Bhavya’s fears and anxiety over the exam dissipated. Today, he is able to undergo his dental treatments without sedation.

Bhavya’s story is similar to those of many people with intellectual disabilities. Often, doctors and medical staff have not received the training necessary to communicate with patients such as Bhayva, and as a result, their access to quality care is stymied.

Over the past 20 years, Special Olympics Health has been seeing the severe disparities that exist for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) to be able to lead the healthiest lives. On the brink of Special Olympics’ 50th Anniversary, the groundwork has been laid for healthy communities to emerge, ones which take a locally-based participatory approach to improve access to health care services for people with ID, people like Bhavya.

Made possible by The Golisano Foundation and a part of Special Olympics Health, the Special Olympics Healthy Communities program is addressing the severe health disparities faced by people with intellectual disabilities through both immediate and long-term community-centered solutions. In Bhavya’s case, the care he received was the result of Dr. Reena Kumar recognizing the special care he needs. Trained by Special Olympics, Dr. Kumar integrated techniques used to treat patients who have ID into the curriculum at her college and made sure all staff members were trained as well.

Special Olympics Healthy Communities create a web of care for Special Olympics athletes and other people with ID. For many people with ID, the experience starts at Special Olympics events and competitions, where they are examined by trained medical professionals who volunteer their time at Healthy Athletes. Healthy Athletes provides health services, screenings, and education. There are eight disciplines within Healthy Athletes, ranging from sports physicals and health education to dental, hearing, and eye screenings. While clinical volunteers may not come in with a lot of experience working with people with ID, by the end of their clinical volunteer experience, they will have received screening protocols and hands-on training for how to provide care for people with ID.

In 2016, Special Olympics trained almost 39,000 healthcare professionals and students, and provided 154,489 Healthy Athletes exams across the eight disciplines offered. Often, Healthy Athletes exams reveal urgent needs that had been put off or missed by doctors in the past who might not have known how to communicate properly with the athlete. If a volunteer discovers something that requires additional care, where partnerships have been established, they can provide referrals to providers in the athlete’s home community, just as Bhavya experienced which lead to care he was able to receive from Dr. Kumar.

In collaboration with healthcare professionals and organizations, in 2016, Special Olympics Healthy Community programs were able to ensure that more than 73% of the athletes who received referrals at Healthy Athletes events for follow-up care actually had a confirmed place to go for further treatment in their own home town.

In addition, Special Olympics Health engages athletes in preventative health programming by offering ongoing health, wellness and fitness opportunities. By providing these ongoing opportunities, Special Olympics works to reinforce the activity or education that the athlete is learning, and gives them an opportunity to positively impact their own health. Examples of these opportunities include attending programs on nutrition and fitness or prevention education around locally relevant health issues such as hepatitis C, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. Over the last year, Special Olympics engaged 15,321 people with ID in these sorts of ongoing wellness activities. These activities have measureable impact on athletes. For instance, after just two months of fitness activities, 38% of those who previously had hypertensive blood pressure have reported normal blood pressure. Examples like these help highlight the need for ongoing wellness within Healthy Communities.

To further this education and create broad community awareness, Special Olympics trains athletes and their families on how to advocate for themselves or a family member who has an intellectual disability. In 2016, 23,354 family members, coaches, and athlete leaders were educated to become health advocates. To put this into perspective, the examination Bhavya underwent was just the starting point for his journey to receiving access to health care through the Special Olympics Healthy Community in India. Within the next few years, Bhavya will receive examinations and treatments within other Healthy Athletes disciplines, have opportunities to participate in health education programs, and learn how to advocate for his healthcare needs to medical professionals and others in his community.

Partnerships with local health partners, such as hospitals, universities, ministries of heath, NGOs, and insurance companies are essential to ensure people with ID have access to quality health care, services and resources. Over the past year, these programs have collaborated with 232 local health partners. Special Olympics has set a target to create 100 Healthy Communities across the globe by 2020. These Healthy Communities will be models for inclusive health. As a result, people with ID will lead healthier lives because they have access to quality health care, advocates across government, hospitals, universities, health education, and resources adapted for their needs.

There is a role for everyone in the fight for #InclusiveHealth & Special Olympics’ mission to create Healthy Communities all over the globe — From ensuring health services provided are inclusive to advocating for this population within your community. Learn more by visiting http://www.specialolympics.org/health.aspx.