The week of 4-10 November marked a celebration of Particular Olympics Well being throughout the Center East and North Africa (MENA). Particular Olympics Well being leaders, together with a consultant from the Golisano Basis, got here collectively for per week stuffed with conferences, occasions, and well being programming that each showcased and accelerated Particular Olympics’ efforts throughout the area.
The week started with the arrival of Particular Olympics Chief Well being Officer, Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Chief of Well being Operations, Annemarie Hill, and Director of Group Well being Applications, Onolee Stephan, alongside Golisano Basis Government Director, Erica Dayton. With the nice and cozy welcome from Particular Olympics MENA, they spent the week observing the mission of Particular Olympics in motion and assembly with regional leaders, clinicians, and athletes.
Website visits corresponding to these spotlight the significance of a holistic, collaborative, and considerate method to inclusive well being, partaking educational companions, civil society, households, healthcare staff, and group teams. Dr. Christakis was notably impressed by the dedication to making sure that athletes within the area obtain acceptable care, reflecting, “The dedication of educational companions—each clinicians and establishments—to supply state-of-the-art take care of our athletes after they’re referred from Particular Olympics Wholesome Athletes® screenings was inspirational and serves as a mannequin for the area, if not the world.”
The dedication of workers and volunteers was echoed by Erica Dayton, who shared, “All Particular Olympics applications, together with these centered on well being, share a standard driving pressure: the dedication of workers and volunteers to create inclusive alternatives for people with mental and developmental disabilities. Throughout my go to to the MENA area, this dedication to entry, excellence, and fairness was evident. I sit up for persevering with to comply with the MENA area’s efforts to reinforce inclusive well being by means of numerous applications and partnerships.”
Whereas there have been numerous well being highlights from the week, some key moments embrace:
- A recognition ceremony honoring over 35 associate organizations and docs for his or her dedication to Particular Olympics, supported by Egypt’s Ministry of Sports activities & Youth and the Ministry of Solidarity.
- A Household Well being Discussion board that supplied an area for native households and caregivers to debate and tackle the well being wants of family members with mental and developmental disabilities (IDD).
- Wholesome Younger Athletes screenings and a health demonstration showcasing inclusive well being practices and the significance of preventive care.
- A go to to Dar Al Oyoun Hospital to be taught extra concerning the Particular Olympics Lions Golf equipment Worldwide Basis Opening Eyes® programas nicely as a go to to Cairo College’s Dentistry division the place comply with up care to referrals from Particular Olympics Particular Smiles takes place.
- Participation in Particular Olympics Wholesome Communities workshops on the Worldwide College of Rabat, alongside representatives from SO Morocco, SO Kuwait, SO Jordan, SO Oman, and SO Tunisia, in addition to Wholesome Communities shows from SO Algeria, SO UAE, SO Lebanon, SO Saudi Arabia, SO Mauritania, SO Egypt, and SO Bahrain.
- Discussions with regional Well being Messengers and recipients of native Golisano Well being Management Awards in Morocco.
- The signing of two Memoranda of Understanding by SO Morocco with Moulay Youssef Hospital and the Worldwide College of Rabat, solidifying a dedication to increasing inclusive well being practices inside these establishments.
In some ways, the MENA website go to celebrated over a decade of thrilling inclusive well being work. Nonetheless, in addition they highlighted the persistent well being disparities confronted by people with IDD within the area and the way Particular Olympics helps to shut these gaps.
Talking to a reporter from Nile TV, Annemarie Hill shared, “We wish to make sure that we develop the companies that we provide. We all know that there are much more individuals with mental disabilities throughout Egypt who proper now are struggling to get the well being care that they want, so we actually wish to present that we are able to develop not simply to our Particular Olympics athletes, not simply to Cairo… however actually making certain that this degree of well being care is accessible to everybody with an mental incapacity, each day of the yr, wherever they’re—as a result of that’s what healthcare means.”
