Access to quality healthcare can make a profound difference in a person’s life. Yet for many people with intellectual disabilities (ID), barriers to care remain a daily reality.
According to Special Olympics, despite severe need and higher health risks, individuals with ID are often denied health services and have a life expectancy that is, on average, 16 years shorter than the general population.
Henry Schein, Inc., the world’s largest provider of healthcare solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners, and Special Olympics have extended their collaboration through 2030, reinforcing a shared commitment to expanding access to health screenings, education, and wellness resources for athletes at select Special Olympics events globally.
Through this partnership, which began in 2018, Henry Schein donates essential oral health and medical care products for the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® program.
Since 1997, Healthy Athletes has delivered over two million free health screenings to Special Olympics athletes worldwide and trained more than 300,000 healthcare professionals and students to treat people with ID. It supports the physical and social-emotional wellbeing of people with ID, the reduction of health disparities, and can help to increase life expectancy. The partnership also empowers and encourages healthcare providers to volunteer their time and services while increasing their knowledge of best practices in caring for and communicating with people with ID.
“Creating healthier communities requires collaboration and sustained commitment, principles that have been central to Henry Schein since our founding in 1932,” said Kyle Guerin, director, corporate social responsibility, Henry Schein Cares, at Henry Schein.
“Extending our partnership with Special Olympics reflects our shared belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to achieve better health and wellbeing.
“We are proud to continue supporting programs that help expand access to care, foster inclusion, and equip healthcare professionals with the resources and experience to better serve people with intellectual disabilities.”
