NEW DELHI: Special Olympics International announced that it has received its largest single private gift in the organization's 53-year-old history.
Tom Golisano, Paychex founder, philanthropist, and father of a son with an intellectual disability (ID), has donated $30 million, making this his third major gift to Special Olympics. This funding will expand the Special Olympics Healthy Communities program. Healthy Communities is a community-integrated approach that takes the principles of the Healthy Athletes Program and expands them from a series of single events to a steady presence of health and wellness in the lives of the athletes and their families.
“This new gift comes at a critical time for our global community as we have seen during this pandemic just how little this population has been prioritized,” said Dr. Alicia Bazzano, Special Olympics Chief Health Officer.
People with intellectual disabilities die on average 16-20 years sooner than the general population. Often, these deaths are preventable and result from treatable conditions, like constipation, seizures and heart disease. During the pandemic many people with intellectual disabilities have not had access to critical COVID-19 care and resources like ventilators and vaccines.
Special Olympics Bharat is currently implementing the Healthy Communities approach in the Asha Jyoti Home for the Intellectually Disabled in New Delhi. Very recently the ‘Healthy Athletes’ screenings across Health Promotion, Eye and dental care were conducted on the residents through the Clinical Directors. Additionally, the residents are encouraged to follow a fitness regimen that follows the Special Olympics Fit5 program covering physical activity, Nutrition and Hydration.
Over the past five years, in partnership with the Golisano Foundation, Special Olympics’ Healthy Communities has conducted 700,000 athlete health screenings – double the number in the previous five years – and offered follow-up care in the communities that decreased urgent referral needs by half. Healthy Communities added 150,000 athletes to fitness and health programs, decreasing their blood pressure, improving health outcomes, and potentially adding years to their lives. More than 150,000 health care providers were trained in 60 countries, and 130 health professional schools now have inclusive health curricula to train students on Intellectual Disability. Special Olympics has also partnered with many organizations, including foundations, governments, universities, and philanthropists to contribute to Healthy Communities programming.
Over the next five years, Special Olympics will move the world closer to inclusion in health care for people with intellectual disabilities through multiple key strategic actions including:
Reaching three million in-person and virtual health screenings in over 100 countries and ensuring follow-up care is received
Improving the overall health and fitness of 600,000 athletes
Reaching 650,000 young children with intellectual disabilities and their families – to provide them with early intervention services to enable them to walk, run, skip and play earlier
Creating the Golisano Virtual University to provide training to 100,000 more health care professionals, enabling them to treat people with intellectual disabilities
Creating the first-ever Global Report on the Health of People with Intellectual Disabilities – this report will evaluate disparities across health systems to develop inclusive policies and practices in target countries
As the leading advocate for health of those with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics is opening access to life-changing health care for this population. Since 2012, Tom Golisano and his foundation have prioritized the health needs of people with ID, donating previous gifts totaling $37 million to help achieve health equity for people with ID all over the world, beginning with the launch of Special Olympics Healthy Communities.
“I am pleased to continue financial support for Special Olympics’ extraordinary health work, which is giving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities improved access to health services and the opportunity to live happier, more productive lives,” said Tom Golisano.
“Tom and Foundation Executive Director Ann Costello have been visionaries in reducing health disparities and improving the quality of life for people with different abilities,” said Dr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics. “They have been consistent and outspoken in their commitment to the physical and social-emotional health of those with intellectual disabilities. We thank them for their leadership, partnership and passion for making health care more equitable for our population.”
Special Olympics Health, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, and in the United States in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is creating a world where people with intellectual disabilities have every opportunity to be healthy and can take full
advantage of the same health programs and services available to people without intellectual disabilities. The organization is investing in a life-span approach, serving as health partners for every person with an intellectual disability throughout their life.
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