Health Challenges in South Dakota: Creation of Healthcare Provider Referral List for Special Olympic Athletes.

INTRODUCTION

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant health challenges affecting their overall morbidity and mortality. Special Olympics is one of the largest non-profit organizations that focuses on the promotion of health and fitness for individuals with IDD (referred to as athletes) year-round. At the state level, Special Olympics South Dakota (SOSD) hosts an annual Summer Games where athletes are provided the opportunity to obtain free health screenings. If an area is identified as needing further attention, a referral is made for the athlete to obtain more in-depth care. The referral process often leads to difficulties for athletes, ranging from finding a healthcare provider (HCP) who is comfortable working with individuals with disabilities, to ensuring the acceptance of a wide range of health insurances (such as Medicaid). Obstacles to finding a HCP for a referral is what necessitates the need for a statewide HCP referral list. The purpose of this project is to increase the ease of accessibility to HCPs for individuals with IDD who are Special Olympics South Dakota athletes.

METHODS

Data from Special Olympics and the CDC Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) was gathered to compare health outcomes between those with disabilities nationwide to those with disabilities in South Dakota. The referral list obtained HCPs via an online two-part survey. Survey 1 focused on demographic information on HCP and place of practice and Survey 2 focused on HCP training and professional work with those with IDD. The surveys were sent to individual providers via their respective professional state associations as well as through convenience sampling (relationship with Clinical Directors for SOSD). Survey 1 gathered 233 responses total, with 95 meeting completion criteria. Survey 2 offered to those 95 and gathered 66 responses total.

RESULTS

Data on multiple health outcomes from the Special Olympics and CDC DHDS revealed individualized areas of concern with little overlap between the two datasets. Of the 95 HCPs added to the referral list (40% completion rate from Survey 1), the majority were localized to areas of higher population density in South Dakota (Sioux Falls and Rapid City areas). In Survey 2, 90% of HCPs indicated some level of training for working with individuals with IDD and 74% of responding HCPs were interested in obtaining further training. All HCPs that responded to Survey 2 had encounters with individuals with IDD in their current professional role, with 94% having 4 or more encounters.

CONCLUSIONS

The Special Olympics South Dakota HCP referral list provides a direct method for SOSD athletes to find referral care. Currently, this is the only database of health care providers that is accessible to individuals with IDD that are members of SOSD. Geographically however, much of South Dakota is not represented on the current HCP referral list. While 90% of HCPs have training, 30% indicate not having received formal training on working with individuals with IDD during their professional training, also showcasing a need for HCPs to strive to limit potential gaps in care.