Orlando Health is the Official Central Florida Health Home of Special Olympics Florida
ORLANDO – Nearly 30 Special Olympics Florida athletes received free physicals on Saturday, thanks to the generosity of Orlando Health and its healthcare professionals.
Athletes attended a half-day Physical Fair, hosted by Orlando Health on its main campus in downtown Orlando. Orlando Heath is the Official Central Florida Health Home of Special Olympics Florida and an enthusiastic supporter of its athletes.
Special Olympics athletes are required to have a physical to participate in sports training and competition. Understanding that access to medical care is a challenge for many athletes, Orlando Health routinely provides these physicals at no cost.
“Orlando Health is one of our most committed partners,” said Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock. “In addition to being a resource for our athletes’ medical care they are incredible advocates for inclusive health. They recognize the unique health needs of people with intellectual disabilities and work tirelessly to serve them.”
In addition to conducting the free physicals, Orlando Health sponsors free health screenings at major Special Olympics events – including next year’s Special Olympics USA Games in June – and supports Special Olympics Florida’s Young Athletes program.
Designed for ages 2 through 7, Young Athletes helps children develop fundamental motor skills, eye-hand coordination, social skills, and confidence.
“A main pillar of Special Olympics programs worldwide is health and wellness of the athletes so it is a wonderful honor to lead the team of talented medical professionals who will work closely with these amazing athletes,” said Michael V. Jablonski, MD, orthopedic surgeon with Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute and chief medical officer of the 2022 USA Games. “As the Official Medical Team for the 2022 USA Games, we look forward to partnering with Special Olympics over the next year and beyond to build a support structure that will help the athletes compete and excel.”
Special Olympics Florida serves nearly 60,000 athletes across Florida with free sports training and competitions, health services, and leadership programs.
It seeks to build an inclusive and accepting world where people with intellectual disabilities are treated with respect and dignity and given the opportunities they deserve. Special Olympics Florida will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022.
To learn more about Special Olympics Florida, visit SpecialOlympicsFlorida.org.
Special Olympics Florida provides year-round sports training, competition, and health services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, at no cost to the athletes or their caregivers, as a means to achieve physical fitness, self-esteem, socialization skills, and the life skills necessary to be productive, respected, and contributing members of their communities. To learn more, visit www.specialolympicsflorida.org.
Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $7.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.
Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for its pediatric and adult Level One Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St. Petersburg region. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health is a statutory teaching system that pioneers life-changing medical research. The 3,200-bed system includes 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members. In FY20, Orlando Health served nearly 150,000 inpatients and nearly 3.1 million outpatients. During that same time period, Orlando Health provided approximately $760 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.
