Henry Schein partners with Special Olympics

  Posted by: Dental Design      6th July 2018

Henry Schein has announced that it has formed a multi-year partnership with Special Olympics to support the organisation’s efforts to deliver healthcare and education among its athletes at select Special Olympics events.

Through this partnership, Henry Schein has been named a Special Olympics Health Provider Partner, and will donate essential health care products to support Special Olympics Healthy Athletes. This initiative will offer health screenings and education to participating athletes with the goal of promoting healthy lifestyle choices and identifying problems that may need additional follow-up.

According to Special Olympics, people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are frequently among the most medically vulnerable populations in any country, despite severe need and higher health risks. Henry Schein’s donation will support Healthy Athletes screenings at 200 Special Olympics events, beginning this week in Seattle, USA and continuing through 2019 at events in the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Israel and Jamaica. The donation includes a range of oral health and medical products essential to overall health and wellness.

“Team Schein is pleased to partner with Special Olympics in support of Healthy Athletes. Supporting the health of people with intellectual disabilities throughout our society closely aligns with our belief in the power of wellness, prevention, treatment, and education to reduce disparities in the delivery of care,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “We look forward to working with Special Olympics and the program’s dedicated health professionals as they help set these incredible athletes on the path to a lifetime of good overall health.”

As a Special Olympics Health Provider Partner, Henry Schein’s donations will be used during screenings in six of eight Healthy Athletes disciplines, including Special Smiles, which provides athletes with comprehensive oral health care information, free dental screenings, instructions on proper brushing and flossing techniques, and if needed, a referral to a dental care provider at home trained to treat people with ID.

Special Smiles fills a particular need for people with ID. Global oral health indicators among Special Olympics athletes show that:

• 15 per cent have mouth pain;
• 37 per cent have untreated tooth decay;
• 28 per cent have missing teeth;
• 46 per cent have signs of gingivitis; and
• 14 per cent need an urgent dental referral.

Henry Schein’s donations also support five additional Healthy Athletes disciplines: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNfitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), MedFest (sports physical exam), and Strong Minds (emotional well-being).

“The partnership between Henry Schein and Special Olympics will not only strengthen our ability to provide the high-quality health screenings that our athletes deserve but also draw attention to the health injustice faced by people with intellectual disabilities,” said Drew Boshell, Senior Vice President of Sport and Health at Special Olympics. “Both Henry Schein and Special Olympics share a common belief that all people deserve quality health care regardless of their differences and their contribution of health care products for our health events will allow our athletes to achieve their best on and off the playing field.”