Since its inception in 1968, the Special Olympics has grown into a worldwide program that provides year-round athletic training and competition for millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The program promotes and celebrates the abilities of its athletes and promotes equal access to health care for all, according to Dimitri Christakis, MD, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Washington and chief health officer. Good at Special Olympics International. Christakis leads the organization’s health programs — including prevention, screening, training and health system strengthening — to improve the health of more than five million Special Olympics athletes and others with intellectual disability.
Sunny Sun, disability inclusive health leader for the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), met Christakis on the sidelines of the World Health Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, where the theme was “All for of Health, Health for All.” They discussed how Christakis and his team are working to collect data on disability inclusion worldwide using the Missing Billions framework. MHI has partnered with the Missing Billion project to accelerate inclusive health and disseminate new information to promote change for the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities worldwide.
Communication – part of MHI’s Conversations About Health series-edited for clarity and length.
Sunny Sun: About 1 to 3 percent of the world’s population has an intellectual disability—about 200 million people. Can you share what Special Olympics International is doing in the area of disability that includes health?
Dimitri Christakis: We have four pillars in our health plan, called PATH to Health Equity. There is an abbreviation there: P stands for restriction. We are very active in early childhood, with our junior athlete program for children ages two to eight. We strive to promote inclusive play and enhance cognitive development through appropriate games and experiences.
“A” is for the exam. We conduct life tests around the world to help identify people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. [IDD]identify any problems they may have that may merit health care, and refer them where appropriate.
“T” stands for training. We recognize that most nurses who care for people with IDD do not have specific training to provide equal care. I am guilty of that too. I did not receive any training in medical school in caring for people with IDD.
“H” stands for health system reform. It is very clear that many inequalities will require policy changes. And we are working hard to change the way health systems are financed, organized and operated.
Sunny Sun: He gave it very clearly. Where do you see the greatest development happening in these pillars globally? And what else remains to be done?
Dimitri Christakis: I wish I could say that we have made great progress, and an optimist would like to say so. We are active in all of those pillars, and we look forward to working with other people who are active in all of those areas.
One of the new initiatives we have launched is our Rosemary Partnership, under our health system development pillar. We use the Missing Billions framework we developed to include policies related to intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we conduct assessments in seven states and three US states to see what the current policy situation is. about promoting equal treatment. for people with IDD.
The second part will be actively advocating to try to make changes in certain policies that the country or countries believe are ready for change. We know there is a lot of work to be done. Hopefully [the assessment results] it will inspire change.
Sunny Sun: How can we create good practices around the world to help achieve the United Nations’ goal of ensuring good health and promoting good health for all people at all ages?
Dimitri Christakis: That’s a very good question. The first thing to note is that advocacy is a team sport. We really need to make sure that everyone working in the space, trying to bring about that change, is working collaboratively and collaboratively.
We are already finding that we need to engage with people who are trying to move the needle the way we are. My hope is that the Missing Billions method – the Rosemary Collaboratory method – will lend itself to others to adapt it in other countries.
But I also want to emphasize that the existence of policy itself is not necessarily sufficient to achieve equality. I would like to say it is necessary, but not sufficient. It is one of the easiest things to measure and an important step in the process. But what we find in the work of the Rosemary Collaboratory so far is that the critics are saying, “You know the plan is there, but it doesn’t work. And it doesn’t seem to work that well.”
Sunny Sun: Those views are really felt in other countries where we work, regarding the inclusion of people with disabilities. Often there is a law or policy, but interpretation and implementation are lacking. So here we are in Geneva — on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly [WHA]. What do you hope to see from conferences like the WHA?
Dimitri Christakis: I hope that we can create connections and have a great process after focusing on IDD as an area of health equity, or health. injustice. I know there are many other competing priorities. But I think one of the important things that people often fail to realize is that—with all the attention to vulnerable populations—there are actually no more vulnerable people than people with IDD.
And there is great intersectionality. Pick any population, and cross it with IDD, and you’ll find that population is at twice, triple, or four times the risk for whatever risk they have in common. have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Sunny Sun: What motivates you to work in the IDD field?
Dimitri Christakis: I’m late to the party. I have been a scientist and researcher for over 30 years. In my clinical role as a pediatrician, I have cared for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. But that was a very narrow window into their lives and problems. My job was in the hospital, so I only saw them when they were very sick in the hospital. I didn’t see them in public.
What I enjoy most about working at Special Olympics is seeing all the amazing things [these athletes] do, and so do the people who work with them—families, coaches and volunteers, and all the people who have dedicated part of their lives to helping people with IDD. I believe that a society’s moral compass is best measured by how well they care for the vulnerable. And no population is more vulnerable than people with IDD. So, for me, moving the needle makes the world a better place.
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