Healthy Athletes Program
People with intellectual disabilities lack access to quality health care and experience dramatically higher rates of preventable disease, chronic pain and suffering, and premature death in every country around the world. In countries such as Thailand, many rural families still lack awareness of health preventive issues and access to healthcare.
Special Olympics offers free health screenings and education to Special Olympics athletes in a welcoming, fun environment. Over 2 million free health screenings have been offered globally since the program started in 1987. Volunteer health professionals and students gain experiences in treating people with intellectual disabilities and take these skills back to their practices and provide higher quality health care to people with ID – not just Special Olympics athletes – in their communities. Special Olympics offer health screening in eight areas, seven of which have been offered in Thailand :
- Fit Feet (podiatry)
- FUNfitness (physical therapy)
- Health Promotion (better health and well-being)
- Healthy Hearing (audiology)
- MedFest (sports physical exam)
- Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes (vision)
- Special Smiles (dentistry)