Inclusive Health
Inclusive Health is Becoming a Reality Not Just a Dream
Special Olympics with the support of the Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation is working to end health disparities for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Need
An estimated 200 million people around the world have intellectual disabilities, many of whom suffer needlessly with chronic pain and disease because they lack access to basic health care.
People with intellectual disabilities:
- Are 2X more likely to die before age 50 than adults without intellectual disabilities
- Are 6X times more likely to die from COVID than the general population
- Die on average 16-20 years sooner than the general population.
More often than not, these deaths are preventable and result from treatable conditions, like constipation, seizures and heart disease.
This happens in the U.S. and in every other country around the world.
Even after a health need has been identified, many people with intellectual disabilities find it difficult if not impossible to get essential follow up care. And where would they go for care when over half of medical school deans and students report that graduates are not competent to treat people with intellectual disabilities?
People with Intellectual Disabilities
3x more likely
Arthritis
5x more likely
Diabetes
2x more likely
Die before 50
3x more likely
Admitted to hospital by ER doctors
2x more likely
Obese
2x more likely
Cardiovascular Disease & Asthma
People with ID
People without ID
What We're Doing
$100+ million donated to support inclusive health globally
Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation have stepped up providing more than $145 million to improve the health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by expanding access to inclusive health.
This includes the global partnership with Special Olympics to launch and expand the successful Healthy Communities program, contributing more than $67 million to change the game and assure that people with intellectual disabilities can access health care in their communities year-round.
In addition, since 2012 more than $28 million has been contributed to support innovative community health centers and educational initiatives. These centers are pioneers and leaders in their fields – serving as national models of collaboration to achieve inclusive health.
Golisano Support of Community-based Innovative Centers that Promote Inclusive Health
Golisano Center for Special Needs at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital
Opened in April 2021, this facility provides comprehensive, coordinated and scientifically based medical and behavioral care for children and adolescents with all types of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). It acts as the umbrella, creating a framework to increase collaboration resulting in better patient care and centralize programs and services. Tom Golisano made a gift of $3 million to establish the Golisano Center for Special Needs at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The Center’s announcement was made by Golisano Foundation Executive Director Ann Costello at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital’s 10th birthday celebration in September 2019. Golisano made the hospital’s naming gift of $6 million in 2005.
Golisano Medical Oncology Center at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
Tom Golisano committed $1.5 million to support this new $2 million Center at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center to improve access to cancer treatment for people in Niagara County. The new Center opened in July 2020 and is operated by Memorial in affiliation with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the top cancer centers in the United States. The Center brings a better system of cancer care to the people in Niagara County, providing cancer care for all residents including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a population that often falls through the cracks of complex health care systems, and specialty care including early detection, cancer screening immunotherapy, hematology, chemotherapy infusion, clinical trials and the newest cancer curing drugs.
Golisano Behavioral Health and Wellness Building
Opened June 18, 2020, this facility was created to address the rising need for pediatric behavioral health in the Rochester, NY region and provide the greater Rochester community with a new, critically-needed home base for child and adolescent behavioral health services. The two-story, 36,000 square foot facility immediately doubled the available space for outpatient and partial hospitalization services for the Golisano Children’s Hospital (GCH) Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Program, and helps GCH meet the increasing demand for child behavioral health services in the Finger Lakes region. The new center, which broke ground in spring of 2019, helps patients with depression, anxiety, psychosis, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other behavioral and emotional conditions. Tom Golisano contributed $5 million for this critically needed center.
Golisano Training Center at Nazareth College
This new model of inclusion, fitness, and wellness for athletes with intellectual disabilities opened October 21, 2019. It is the first of its kind collaboration for athletes of all abilities and all ages that levels the playing field. Tom Golisano made a gift of $7.5 million toward the new Center. People with intellectual disabilities were considered in every aspect of the design and construction of the 108,000-square-foot facility. The Genesee region’s more than 3,000 Special Olympics athletes who participate in more than 30 regional competitions annually train at the Center.
Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing
This is the first institute of its kind in the country, and has local, national, and international impact. Fully integrated into Fisher’s Wegmans School of Nursing it is designed to transform the health care and support of individuals with developmental disabilities. Its mission is to generate an international cadre of health care professionals prepared with the knowledge, professional skills, and competencies to effectively support individuals with Developmental Disabilities (DD) throughout the life span and across settings. In 2021 The Golisano Fellowship in Developmental Disability Nursing was launched, a 12-month program designed to develop nursing thought leaders who support and promote the health and well-being of persons with ID/DD across their lifespan and settings. St. John Fisher College, Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation announced the creation of the Golisano Institute on October 30, 2018, which was made possible with a $5.8 million gift including $5 million from Tom Golisano and $800,000 from the Golisano Foundation. A second gift of $5 million was announced on December 4, 2023 by Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation to support the Institute’s continued growth and expansion.
Golisano Autism Center Rochester
This facility expands and enhances autism services to serve the more than 10,000 people diagnosed with autism in the Greater Rochester and surrounding areas. Tom Golisano and the Foundation donated $2.5 million to build the new center, which opened September 12, 2019. It is transforming the delivery of autism services in the region. A comprehensive, enriched and innovative new model co-locates resources offered by autism service providers, who work collaboratively under one roof — experts in ASD knowledge, and in their specific services areas. This one-stop approach to accessing a wide variety of supports is transformative. Family Navigators are available on-site to help connect families with on-site providers, services and supports within the Center.
Golisano Center for Community Health
This facility was opened in 2016 at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in Niagara Falls, NY and provides comprehensive integrated health care services to adults with special needs and their families, breaking down barriers to care, preventing individuals from falling through the cracks and helping them live with dignity. It was built with the support of a gift of $3.5 million from Tom Golisano.
Golisano Supported Inclusive Health Work Globally
- Has a vast global network in place to reach more people with intellectual disabilities than any other organization.
- Is the world’s largest global public health organization for people with intellectual disabilities.
- Maintains the largest global database in existence of health information for people with intellectual disabilities.
Capstone Report - 2016 - 2021
- The gap between the identification of a health problem and receiving the appropriate care is closing.
- Health professionals and students around the globe are being trained to deliver a higher quality of care to people with intellectual disabilities.
- Parents and athletes are being activated as health advocates.
- Ongoing health andfitness programming is helping people with intellectual disabilities live longer and healthier lives
Despite the successes achieved to date, this work is not close to completion. The next five years will be even more exciting and filled with new possibilities, as Special Olympics seeks to grow its health footprint and reach an ever-expanding population in need. This will be accomplished by modernizing and further utilizing technology to allow for better electronic data collection, dissemination of information, and realization of measurable results faster through more evidence-based interventions.
By 2027, Special Olympics will:
Complete three million in-person and virtual health screenings in over 100 countries.
Ensure follow-up care is received by those with a need.
Improve the overall health and fitness of over 600,000 athletes and reach an additional 650,000 young children with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Create the Golisano Virtual University to provide training to 100,000 more health care professionals.
Create the first-ever Global Report on the Health of People with Intellectual Disabilities to highlight disparities that exist across health systems.
Special Olympics Center for Inclusive Health
Special Olympics Health Research and Evaluation
These resources may be used to inform others about the health status of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and how Special Olympics programming is changing knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and health outcomes at the individual and systems levels. Evaluating this impact is critical to the Special Olympics movement.
Events
Tom Golisano Gifts $30 Million to Special Olympics to Expand Critical Health Services Globally
Foundation Executive Director Ann Costello Visits Kenya to See Progress of Healthy Communities
Reports & Resources
Reports
Related News
Tom Golisano makes $50 million commitment to the University of Rochester to build new Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute
Gift is the largest single gift in University history and the largest single gift made by Golisano At a news conference today at the University of Rochester, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader B. Thomas “Tom” Golisano announced that he has made a historic...
Inclusive Health is Thriving in Chile
Erica Dayton traveled to Chile for a four-day site visit to see firsthand the impact of Special Olympics Healthy Communities work in Latin America. Healthy Communities, now in its 14th year, has been funded with the support of $67 million provided by Tom Golisano...
Festival of Inclusion Returns Saturday February 24 Featuring 80+ Organizations Serving the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Community
Free! 11AM – 2PM at Nazareth's Golisano Training Center—Interactive Creative Activities & Demonstrations The Golisano Foundation, Special Olympics, and Best Buddies are joining together to host the third annual Festival of Inclusion on Saturday, February 24. The...