**MEDIA ADVISORY** 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Offering Free Health Screenings for Nearly 3,000 Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities

Welcome event and media briefing on July 2 at 1:30 p.m. PT

SEATTLE – For the nearly 3,000 athletes at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, their time in Seattle will bring more than the chance to compete on a national stage. Through Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®, athletes competing at the USA Games also have the opportunity to receive free health screenings and education in seven disciplines: podiatry, vision, dentistry, physical therapy/fitness, nutrition and healthy habits, audiology, and emotional well-being.

More than 1,000 health care professionals are volunteering to provide screenings and educational sessions. They’ll be armed with specific training on treating people with intellectual disabilities from Special Olympics. The Healthy Athletes Program at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games is made possible by the Golisano Foundation and presented by Kaiser Permanente.

To officially welcome athletes, coaches and volunteers, and to provide an overview of the critical needs that the Healthy Athletes program addresses, media are invited to attend a briefing on Monday, July 2:

What: Welcome event and media briefing on the impact of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program

Where: University of Washington Husky Union Building (HUB)

4001 E. Stevens Way NE, Seattle

When: Monday, July 2

Timeline: 1:15 p.m. – Media check-in/set up

1:30 p.m. – Healthy Athletes welcome event and media briefing

2:00 p.m. – Speakers available for interviews; media tours of Healthy Athletes facilities

Speakers: Dr. Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics International

Ann Costello, Executive Director, Golisano Foundation

Susan Mullaney, President, Kaiser Permanente Washington

Dr. Stephen Tarnoff, President and CEO, Washington Permanente Medical Group

Stephanie Dulin, Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

Meaghan McHugh, Director of Healthy Athletes, Special Olympics International

Crystal Womack, Special Olympics athlete

During the USA Games, Healthy Athletes screenings will take place:

July 1: 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

July 2: 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

July 3: 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

July 4-6: 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Throughout the week, tours of the Healthy Athletes facilities at the HUB and interviews can be arranged by contacting media@specialolympicsusagames.org.

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