Vice President's Corner
A New Decade of Healthy Athletes Begins
As the first decade of Healthy Athletes drew to a close last December, one cannot but be amazed at what has transpired since the initiative was officially recognized by Special Olympics in 1997. Thousands of health care providers have provided free screening services to hundreds of thousands of athletes throughout the world. In 10 years the program has grown 600 percent in the number of screening events; this expansion has brought a new hope of health to athletes in more than 80 countries and in all seven regions of the global Special Olympics movement. When Special Olympics officially adopted Healthy Athletes as a new initiative in 1997, screening programs in vision and dental were established; however the events were few and sporadic. At the time of the official recognition, fewer than 10 screening events had been conducted in the previous year. What followed was meteoric growth, not only in numbers of events, volunteers and athletes served, but in the scope of services offered, with the inclusion of hearing, physical therapy, health promotion in nutrition, sun safety and smoking cessation, and podiatry.
Throughout the past decade, our mission and goals have remained constant and valid: to improve the health and fitness of our athletes and thereby enhance their ability to train and compete, and to improve the quality of their lives.
Clearly we have striven to provide high-quality health service, improve access to care, recruit and train the best and brightest health professionals to provide screening services, document the health status and needs of our athletes, advance the knowledge of health care, and serve as the premier advocate for improved health care policy for people with intellectual disabilities. By every measure and standard, this program has been a success, a tribute to everyone who has played a role over the last 10 years. Thank you all!
As we enter the next decade, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must look ahead and continue to grow in scope and service. Let us seek to bring this program to all athletes, no matter the size of the event or where they live. It is truly the athletes at the local community level that have the greatest need, athletes who may not get to a state, national or World Games. Let us be mindful that regional, national and cultural conditions may present different needs and solutions. And finally, we should always strive to find ways to assist our athletes in opening the doors to better health.
Mark L. Wagner D.M.D.
Vice President, Health Programs
Special Olympics
Return to Healthy Athletes Update, Spring 2007
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