Research reveals that people with intellectual disabilities often are forgotten in the health care system
On 17 August Special Olympics will host a free online seminar to discuss the results of its latest research on the health and health care of people with intellectual disabilities. The 90-minute seminar, which starts at 4 p.m. EST, will feature several health care experts, including:
- Antonia Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H., Commissioner of Health for the State of New York and Former Surgeon General of the United States;
- Stephen Corbin, D.D.S., M.P.H., Dean, Special Olympics University and Director, Special Olympics Health, Research and Evaluation
- Matthew Holder, M.D., M.B.A., Executive Director of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry and Global Medical Advisor for Special Olympics
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Dr. Antonia Novello will lead a distinguished panel of health care experts in a discussion of Special Olympics' latest research into the health and health care of people with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Novella also spoke at the Changing Attitudes, Changing the World Symposium in Nagano, Japan, before the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games. |
The online seminar will be moderated by Rick Rader, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of Exceptional Parent magazine and Director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. You can register for this free seminar at https://services.choruscall.com/links/epindex050817.html.
The studies that will be the focus of the seminar validate the view that individuals with intellectual disabilities face widespread health problems, while physicians, dentists and other health professionals are not receiving the training to adequately treat them. While people with intellectual disabilities are no longer forgotten in institutions, they are often overlooked and forgotten in the health care system.
“The health of people with intellectual disabilities is much worse than that of people without disabilities,” states Mary Helen Witten of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The studies are some of the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted on this population and confirm many beliefs about their barriers to health care. Sponsored by Special Olympics with the support of the CDC, the studies were led by Dr. Corbin and Dr. Holder.
Data from more than 15,000 health screenings on 4,700 athletes from 146 countries and a study of over 2,000 health care professionals provides important insight regarding:
- Whether a person with intellectual disabilities receives better health care than the general public;
- How people with intellectual disabilities have fallen through the health care cracks;
- How competent doctors and dentists think they are to treat people with intellectual disabilities;
- What priority medical and dental schools place on treating people with intellectual disabilities; and
- Whether students and deans believe they should treat people with intellectual disabilities.
“The full potential of people with intellectual disabilities cannot be realized if there are significant barriers to quality health care,” states Holder. “The fact that you would have to call 50 primary care doctors just to find one who had a minimum amount of training to treat someone with intellectual disabilities is a disgraceful barometer of our society.”
The information gathered from the research will be used to better identify where education, funding and research need to be focused to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Because many Special Olympics athletes cannot hear the starting gun or see the finish line to win a race, Special Olympics has a commitment not only to athletics, but also to cutting-edge research and evaluation to promote better health care for people with intellectual disabilities.
Download a copy of the research study – The Health and Health Care of People with Intellectual Disabilities. For more information, contact Randy Borntrager at Special Olympics: +1 (202) 715-1155 or research@specialolympics.org.
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