Family Health Clinic Provided Special Olympians with Free Physicals

Godfrey, Ill. – On Thursday, for the third consecutive year, area Special Olympians gathered on the campus of Lewis and Clark Community College for pre-event physicals to ensure their eligibility to compete in this year’s games.

Seventy-five athletes from Special Olympics Illinois attended Special Olympics MedFest from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Nursing building. Nurse practitioners of the L&C Family Health Clinic, nursing students, and L&C staff volunteer their time each year to provide the physicals.

“This event affords a valuable learning experience for our students, as well as community service to a very special group of individuals,” said Donna Meyer, dean of Health Sciences and Project Director of the Family Health Clinic. “We look forward to hosting this event every year, and are honored that Special Olympics has partnered with us for the past three years.”

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, a person must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delays that require or have required specially designed instruction.

This year’s Special Olympics Area Spring Games will take place on April 28 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Lewis and Clark's Family Health Clinic and are grateful that they are able to provide many of our athletes with the needed physicals allowing them to compete in Special Olympics competitions. We appreciate Lewis and Clark's continued support of our program,” said Linda Wunder, Southern Regional Area supervisor for Special Olympics Illinois.

Lewis and Clark’s Family Health Clinic is funded through a grant from the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services to help expand healthcare services and education in rural and underserved communities. The nurse-managed clinic offers family practice basic services within the nursing philosophy, emphasizing health education, health promotion and preventative care.
Visit www.lc.edu and search “Family Health Clinic” to learn more about the clinic and its services.

Special Olympics Illinois empowers people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential. Special Olympics athletes enhance their physical fitness and motor skills while building self-confidence, friendships and social skills, which they carry over into their daily lives at home, in the classroom, on the job and in the community. Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization. All funds are raised in Illinois through individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, service clubs and special events.
Visit www.soill.org for more information.

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