Am J Public Health. 2026 May;116(S2):S70-S74. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2026.308503.
ABSTRACT
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant barriers to health care access. Special Olympics Healthy Athletes addresses this through health screenings and care coordination. From 2023 to 2025, 580 individuals received multidisciplinary referral support. Coordinators provided no-cost benefits navigation, transportation, and provider connections. Common barriers included difficulty locating in-network providers, financial constraints, and limited insurance coverage for specialty services. This highlights the impact of dedicated referral coordination in overcoming systemic barriers and improving care access for individuals with IDD. (Am J Public Health. 2026; 116(S2):S70-S74. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308503).
PMID:42018944 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2026.308503
