| FEATURE ARTICLE |
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 Desperately Needed Dental Follow-up Care Provided at USA Games
Ronnie and Dixie Bledsoe share almost everything. They have been married for two years, have two small sons together, both play volleyball for Special Olympics Oklahoma, and both have endured years of pain due to unresolved dental issues. Ronnie broke one of his front teeth four years ago and had significant dental decay; Dixie has been in pain for about three years due to wisdom teeth coming in. For them and hundreds of other athletes like them, the full-service, 30-chair dental clinic set up at USA National Games in Lincoln, Nebraska in July was a life-altering experience.
Read this complete article.
Watch the video of Tim Shriver talking to Dr. James Jenkins about the dental clinic.
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| IN THE SPOTLIGHT |
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 Screenings at Safilo USA’s HQ Raises Program’s Profile
On July 27, for the first time ever, a Healthy Athletes screening event was held at the headquarters of a global sponsor, offering an opportunity to raise awareness of the health problems of Special Olympics athletes, thank the sponsor for its support, illustrate to employees the impact their work can have, and of course, provide health services to more athletes. Volunteer employees at Safilo USA’s headquarters in Parsippany, NJ performed 71 eye exams and gave 53 pairs of glasses and 40 sunglasses to Special Olympics athletes from New Jersey.
Read this complete article.
Watch video of Safilo America's COO Ross Brownlee talking about his introduction to Healthy Athletes and the impetus for the New Jersey event: 
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| ATHLETES' CORNER |
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 Safilo Event Raises Expectations for Athletes
Charlie Casella, a 36-year-old Special Olympics athlete from West Millford, New Jersey, has high expectations for the new eyeglasses he received at the Opening Eyes screening July 27 at Safilo USA headquarters. “I bet I can get a 3-pointer now,” he said, with a smile, visibly surprised by how much better he could see. Casella has never had glasses before and has had trouble making his shots when practicing and competing in basketball, according to his father, “but we had no idea he was near-sighted, until today."
Read this complete article.
 Special Olympics Helps Athlete Lose 150 lbs to Win Gold
Special Olympics rhythmic gymnast Sara Abbott is accustomed to beating the odds. When she was an infant, doctors said she would never walk or talk; she was not supposed to live past the age of 30; and three years ago, she weighed well over 300 pounds. Abbott has a rare genetic disorder, Prader-Willi Syndrome, which results in intellectual disability, and is frequently associated with insatiable appetite, low metabolism, and subsequent obesity. Yet today, at age 37, she is 150 lbs. lighter and took home three gold and two silver medals at the summer 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Read this complete article.
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| INNOVATIVE PRACTICE |
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 New Initiative Puts Health Information “On the Field”
In the traditional Healthy Athletes model, athletes must come to a Health Promotion screening venue to receive information on sun safety, but a new model, tested during the 2010 USA National Games, took the information directly to the athletes. For two days, at the Abbott Sports Complex in Lincoln, Nebraska, Health Promotion clinical directors educated athletes and provided free sunscreen, chapstick and photochromic bracelets between practices and competitions. This new model was highly successful, reaching athletes, coaches, and family members who may not otherwise have been exposed to Healthy Athletes.
Read this complete article.
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| POLICY NEWS |
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 HA Loses Long-time Supporter Ted Stevens (1923-2010)
Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was a supporter of Healthy Athletes starting in the early years of the program, including integral support of the Senate Appropriations Committee Field Hearing on the health needs of people with intellectual disabilities in 2001, and as a co-sponsor of the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004. The Special Olympics family was saddened by the news of the Aug. 9 plane crash that ended his life.
Read the Special Olympics tribute of this leader.
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Quick Fact:
At the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games, 43% of athletes screened in Special Smiles needed follow-up care. |
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Kudos!!
To Drew Choules for being named Healthy Athletes Manager for Special Olympics North America.
To David Paz for being named the new Healthy Athletes Director for the Special Olympics Arizona’s Healthy Athletes program.
To Special Olympics Arizona’s Healthy Athletes program for being invited to apply for the “Developmental Disabilities Basic Support and Advocacy Grant Program" given by the Arizona Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.
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