The Golisano Global Health Leadership Award honors health champions and their extraordinary efforts toward fulfilling the goals, values, and mission of the Special Olympics global health program. These seven honorees were chosen from among 105 individuals or organizations recognized in 2018 at the country or U.S. state level.
2019 Golisano Global Health Leadership Award Honorees
Lions Sight First Eye Hospital: The Lions Sight First Eye Hospital has made significant impact for follow up care for Special Olympics Kenya athletes. In the past 5 years the hospital has donated more than 1000 spectacles, conducted more than 15 surgeries for free to Special Olympics Kenya athletes. Besides the hospital donates a minimum of 5 Opening Eyes Specialists to assist with screening in all the Healthy Athlete Screening events. In addition to spectacles and surgeries the hospital dispenses drugs and conducts regular review sessions for athletes referred in the premises. This year the hospital has expanded its service delivery to include Healthy Hearing and Special Smiles in addition to Opening eyes. In the past 5 years the hospital has donated more than 1000 spectacles, conducted more than 15 surgeries for free to Special Olympics Kenya athletes. Besides the hospital has had one trained Opening Eyes Clinical Director who facilitates seamless service delivery when athletes attend the follow up care sessions. Close to 4000 Special Olympics Kenya athletes have directed benefited from the hospital, through Healthy Athlete Screening and thousands more have benefited indirectly through the Family Health Forums where Lions members provide health education to the families and older athletes.
Dr. Ashok Dhoble: Dr. Ashok Dhoble, an orthodontist and dental surgeon is the Honorary Secretary General Indian Dental Association- the voice of the dental profession in India. The Healthy Athletes Special Smiles Program has gained wings and momentum in India due to the active involvement of Dr. Dhoble and IDA. He has signed an MOU of IDA with Special Olympics Bharat with a commitment to create year round access to oral health care to our athletes and care givers. The athletes are screened and follow up treatment provided at clinics of IDA members. Through this MoU Dr. Dhoble has provided visibility to SO Bharat through one page of print on activities of SO Bharat in the 7 journals of IDA per month since 2015. This print media presence has a huge impact to enhance awareness amongst the dental professionals and the lay public as they are available in the clinic reception as reading material. IDA invites articles on Special Care for people with IDD for publication in its scientific journal. All IDA National Conferences allocates space for scientific paper and poster presentation on issues related to health of people with IDD and ways to improve the same.
Hua Dong Hospital / China: Since 2005, Hua Dong Hospital based in Shanghai, has formed a medical volunteer team to support Special Olympics Healthy Athletes screenings, and established a year round Special Olympics Health Support Project team, led by Health Promotion RCA Dr. Ying FENG, has made influence in local society, to promote the equal health rights for people with intellectual disability in China. The Health Project team has conducted the Healthy Athletes event in 17 cities and completed more than 12,000 screening. This project team leader Dr. Ying FENG was invited to in charge the Healthy Community project in 2017 and Hua Dong Hospital supported the access to athlete referral and follow up care. The hospital works with special schools and community centers to introduce the wellness program, as well as rehabilitation training, to benefit 100 athletes who need referral and follow up care every year.
CollaborationPlatform: Belgian Dentists support Special Olympics Special Smiles: Collaboration Platform: Belgian dentists support Special Smiles was created in 2003 by Luc Marks and Michel de Decker in order to support the oral health care of the special care population in Belgium. Currently the 4 major Belgian Universities (UGent / KuLeuven, UCLouvain and VUBrussel) are involved in combination with all dental professional organizations (VVT/WTB, VBT, SMD, CSD of both the Flemish and French speaking parts of the country. Moreover strong and long-term partnerships with the industry are made (Meridol/Colgate & Oral B P&G) since the start of the collaboration. This National collaboration platform is complete unique in Belgium both on the academic as the professional level. Additionally members of multiple service clubs like Ladies Circle, Lions Club, Rotary etc. are involved as volunteers.
Professor Kamal Bani-Hani - President of Hashemite University: The Hashemite University is one of Jordan’s official universities and is characterized by its cooperation with Special Olympics Jordan through the sports, educational and medical colleges. The first conference was held under the title of Healthy Community awareness to the university staff and around 100 students. SOJ attracts a large number of university students as volunteers too. The university is also in coordination to add a specific module in their next year’s curriculum about Healthy Communities, how to deal with people with ID. All of the above was with the support and empowerment and approval from the President of the university who is Professor Kamal Bani Hani.
Dr. Peter Seidenberg: Dr. Seidenberg is a family and sports medicine physician at Penn State Sports Medicine College. Dr. Seidenberg has been involved with Special Olympics for over 18 years. His accomplishments include working with Dr. Matthew Holder to develop the International Standard for Care for Sports Physicals for Special Olympics in 2004. Seidenberg has evaluated, strengthened, and contributed to the global roll-out of MedFest and helped to develop and refine the MedFest Train-the-Trainer curriculum. Seidenberg is currently working with Special Olympics Pennsylvania to create a directory of providers who will accept athletes in need of follow up care as well as developing Continuing Medical Education lectures to train healthcare providers how to deliver quality care to people with ID and work to reduce health disparities.
Dr. Dorisel Ferreira, the Director of the Third Health Region of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, for recruiting staff from the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare to volunteer at Healthy Athletes as well as getting the Ministry of Health to provide the equipment necessary for Healthy Athletes events. Dr. Ferreira has created a network for follow-up care, making it possible for athletes and their families to get medical care, dental care, immunizations, and specialty care at local hospitals.