The University of Maryland schools of nursing and medicine partner with Special Olympics to improve health equity for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Data shows just how necessary it is to ensure students who are working toward degrees in health and human services fields are educated to care for populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities — who often face barriers when it comes to receiving treatment.
A study from 2021 found only 40.7% of physicians were very confident about their ability to provide the same quality of care to patients with disabilities as they do to patients without. And just 56.5% strongly agreed that they welcomed patients with disabilities into their practices.
The University of Maryland Schools of Medicine and Nursing Standardized Patient Program — housed in the University of Maryland School of Nursing — in partnership with Special Olympics Maryland (SOM) and Special Olympics International (SOI) is working to ensure the next generation of health care professionals is well prepared to work with and treat individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is one of five universities in the country across four states to recently partner with the Special Olympics.