rosemary kennedy inspired Eunice Kennedy Shriver She founded Special Olympics, and Special Olympics is excited to further honor her memory with the newly launched Rosemary Collaboration. This initiative addresses the inequities faced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in health systems around the world, an issue that Rosemary Kennedy experienced 60 years ago and that continues today. The aim is to accelerate efforts to address the issue.
Special Olympics Healthmade possible by Golisano Foundationin the United States Centers for Disease Control and Preventionis creating a world where people with IDD have every opportunity to be healthy. To this end, Special Olympics is pleased to announce the launch of the Rosemary Collaboration Initiative. This is an international health system-level assessment and advocacy project aimed at promoting health systems that are more accessible, affordable, and capable of providing appropriate, high-quality care. to this underserved population.
With support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, an international advocacy expert, the Rosemary Collaboratory is working with research teams from eight countries and three US states to assess the level of integration of IDD into health systems in the first half of 2024. Evaluate. The teams are:
- chinese taipei
- Ireland
- India
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- paraguay
- South Africa
- United States – Pennsylvania
- USA – Washington
- United States – Wisconsin
The team will apply new assessments of various characteristics of Special Olympics and health systems. Missing Billion Initiative developed. This new IDD specific module This is in addition to the Missing Billion Initiative's existing systems-level assessment of disability inclusion in health. It was developed with input from health and IDD experts from around the world and assesses disability inclusion for people with IDD based on a wide range of indicators across all aspects of the healthcare system.
The results of these assessments, along with other data, good practices, and policy recommendations, will be included in Special Olympics' 2025 global report on the health of people with IDD. This report serves as one milestone in her long-term advocacy work for people with IDD. It needs to be implemented not only across Rosemary Collaboratory sites, but around the world to address health care inequities.
More than 50 years ago, Rosemary Kennedy inspired the creation of the Special Olympics movement. Starting today, the Rosemary Collaboratory will inspire and advance the collaboration and action needed to strengthen health systems and achieve health equity for people with IDD.
