Special Olympics Arkansas Names summit community Care its Golisano health leadership award honoree
Special Olympics Arkansas is honored to announce the selection of Summit Community Care of Little Rock as the 2024-2025 Golisano Health Leadership Award honoree.
The Golisano Health Leadership Award was established in 2016, in partnership with Special Olympics and the Golisano Foundation, and is given to an individual or organization that is dedicated to improving the health of people with intellectual disabilities and advancing the health work of Special Olympics. To date, the award has honored 14 individuals/organizations at the global level and many more at local events around the world.
“Summit Community Care has been a committed partner in advancing health programs that directly benefit our athletes. Their commitment to education, engagement, and creating new health initiatives demonstrates their passion for improving health opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are proud to honor Summit Community Care with the Golisano Health Leadership Award,” said Amber King, Coordinator of Health Programs for Special Olympics Arkansas.
Summit Community Care has been a dedicated partner for Special Olympics Arkansas for more than five years, consistently growing their partnership and demonstrating a commitment to our athletes’ health and well-being. Their support and involvement have helped shape key initiatives, making a lasting impact on our community and inclusive health. Through this partnership, we have trained two new Clinical Directors for Strong Minds, a mental health screening under Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative. This screening helps athletes build emotional resilience and coping mechanisms through an on-site screening with educational components. In addition, Summit hosted an Inclusive Health training for over 400 of their staff members. These trainings focus on how to deliver equitable, compassionate care to individuals with intellectual disabilities, who often face barriers in accessing quality healthcare.
Beyond their event participation, Summit Community Care has taken steps to integrate inclusive health practices within their organization. Through the inclusive health training we provided, they have equipped their care coordinators with the knowledge and skills to better support individuals with intellectual disabilities and are actively engaged in creating a healthier, more supportive community for all. In addition to this, Summit Community Care is currently collaborating with us on a marketing campaign for their members to not only raise awareness but also encourage them to connect with our mission on a deeper level. Their willingness to embrace new ideas and work to create health opportunities for our athletes has been instrumental in expanding our health initiatives. Their passion for improving health outcomes and promoting inclusion continues to drive meaningful change, making them an invaluable partner to our mission.
Since 2012, philanthropist and Paychex Chairman Tom Golisano, and the Golisano Foundation, have committed $37 million to Special Olympics health program to increase access to inclusive health, fitness and wellness programs for people with intellectual disabilities in the communities in which they live.
People with intellectual disabilities are part of one of the largest and most medically underserved disability groups in the world. Millions with intellectual disabilities lack access to quality health care and experience dramatically higher rates of preventable disease, chronic pain and suffering, and premature death in every country around the world.
Special Olympics’ vision of its health program, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, is to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities have the same opportunities and access to quality health care as people without intellectual disabilities. For the past 20 years, Special Olympics has been working to identify and address the unmet health needs of people with intellectual disabilities and has revealed a myriad of complex barriers to health faced by this population. Barriers to this vision include lack of access to quality health care, education and resources.
To address the barriers to accessing health services, resources and education, Special Olympics is identifying health needs and providing health education to Special Olympics athletes, focusing on follow-up care, engaging athletes and other people with intellectual disabilities in more ongoing health, wellness and fitness opportunities within their communities, and is investing in training health professionals and organizations to deliver these activities throughout the world and improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities.
The Golisano Health Leadership Award was established in 2016, in partnership with Special Olympics and the Golisano Foundation, and is given to an individual or organization that is dedicated to improving the health of people with intellectual disabilities and advancing the health work of Special Olympics. To date, the award has honored 14 individuals/organizations at the global level and many more at local events around the world.
“Summit Community Care has been a committed partner in advancing health programs that directly benefit our athletes. Their commitment to education, engagement, and creating new health initiatives demonstrates their passion for improving health opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are proud to honor Summit Community Care with the Golisano Health Leadership Award,” said Amber King, Coordinator of Health Programs for Special Olympics Arkansas.
Summit Community Care has been a dedicated partner for Special Olympics Arkansas for more than five years, consistently growing their partnership and demonstrating a commitment to our athletes’ health and well-being. Their support and involvement have helped shape key initiatives, making a lasting impact on our community and inclusive health. Through this partnership, we have trained two new Clinical Directors for Strong Minds, a mental health screening under Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative. This screening helps athletes build emotional resilience and coping mechanisms through an on-site screening with educational components. In addition, Summit hosted an Inclusive Health training for over 400 of their staff members. These trainings focus on how to deliver equitable, compassionate care to individuals with intellectual disabilities, who often face barriers in accessing quality healthcare.
Beyond their event participation, Summit Community Care has taken steps to integrate inclusive health practices within their organization. Through the inclusive health training we provided, they have equipped their care coordinators with the knowledge and skills to better support individuals with intellectual disabilities and are actively engaged in creating a healthier, more supportive community for all. In addition to this, Summit Community Care is currently collaborating with us on a marketing campaign for their members to not only raise awareness but also encourage them to connect with our mission on a deeper level. Their willingness to embrace new ideas and work to create health opportunities for our athletes has been instrumental in expanding our health initiatives. Their passion for improving health outcomes and promoting inclusion continues to drive meaningful change, making them an invaluable partner to our mission.
Since 2012, philanthropist and Paychex Chairman Tom Golisano, and the Golisano Foundation, have committed $37 million to Special Olympics health program to increase access to inclusive health, fitness and wellness programs for people with intellectual disabilities in the communities in which they live.
People with intellectual disabilities are part of one of the largest and most medically underserved disability groups in the world. Millions with intellectual disabilities lack access to quality health care and experience dramatically higher rates of preventable disease, chronic pain and suffering, and premature death in every country around the world.
Special Olympics’ vision of its health program, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, is to create a world where people with intellectual disabilities have the same opportunities and access to quality health care as people without intellectual disabilities. For the past 20 years, Special Olympics has been working to identify and address the unmet health needs of people with intellectual disabilities and has revealed a myriad of complex barriers to health faced by this population. Barriers to this vision include lack of access to quality health care, education and resources.
To address the barriers to accessing health services, resources and education, Special Olympics is identifying health needs and providing health education to Special Olympics athletes, focusing on follow-up care, engaging athletes and other people with intellectual disabilities in more ongoing health, wellness and fitness opportunities within their communities, and is investing in training health professionals and organizations to deliver these activities throughout the world and improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities.
Published June 2025
