Referral Coordination to Address Health Disparities in Special Olympics Athletes With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The article focuses on the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes (HA) program and its partnership with National Care Advisors (NCA) to improve health care access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through preventive screenings and professional referral coordination. From 2023 to 2025, 580 Special Olympics athletes across 14 U.S. programs received multidisciplinary health screenings and no-cost care navigation support addressing barriers such as insurance limitations, provider availability, and financial constraints. The intervention integrates community-based screenings with nurse case managers who assist athletes and caregivers in navigating complex health systems, resulting in confirmed follow-up care appointments for a portion of participants despite challenges in outreach. This model aims to reduce systemic health disparities for people with IDD by linking early identification of health needs to actionable care pathways while also educating future health providers on inclusive practices.