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Medical Volunteer Info
Be a part of Special Olympics Louisiana by volunteering your professional time to assist with our Healthy Athletes program or by being a part of our medical team for state games and competitions. Medical Team Volunteers Our medical teams at state events are vital to the health and safety of our athletes and partners. On-Site Medical Volunteers work as a part of the Medical Team under the director of a Medical Director to provide on-site medical attention to athletes and partners. If you are interested in volunteering your time at one of our state events, contact Brock Banos at bbanos@laso.org or call 800-345-6644 ext 107. Healthy Athletes Clinical Directors For more information on the Clinical Director role for any of the health disciplines listed below, contact Brock Banos at bbanos@laso.org or call 800-345-6644 ext 107. Fit Feet Volunteer health care professionals examine athletes’ feet and ankles for deformities, and also check for proper shoes and socks. Criteria For Clinical Director: Should be a DPM or have similar training, able to assist with garnering corporate sponsorship, networking, and soliciting, train local volunteers, work within the guidelines of the local program to coordinate events yearly, ensure proper data collection and quality assurance, and develop follow-up referral for athletes. FUNFitness FUNfitness is designed to assess and improve flexibility, functional strength and balance; to educate participants, families and coaches about the importance of flexibility, strength and balance; and to provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to learn about physical therapy. Criteria for Clinical Director: A licensed Physical Therapist is the preferable choice for Clinical Director. In situations where it has been difficult to identify a PT, and when interest has been expressed by a licensed or registered Physical Therapist Assistant, the PTA can be trained to become a CD. The PTA can definitely coordinate the event, solicit funding and recruit volunteers. However, they must work in conjunction with a physical therapist to identify volunteer PTs, the only professionals who can perform the specific tests in FUNfitness. Health Promotion Health Promotion venues empower and motivate athletes to make healthy lifestyle choices that will improve their long-term health by using interactive educational games and literature. Criteria for Clinical Director: Dietician, Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Nurse, PT, Health Educator, someone with Public Health background. Family members, particularly those with an allied health background would be ideally suited. For success, must volunteer 3+ years, good communication skills, talent for teaching and training, organizational skills and able to wisely delegate responsibilities, capacity to sustain enthusiasm and energy over the long term. Healthy Hearing Healthy Hearing is the audiological exam designed to assess the prevalence of possible hearing loss among Special Olympics athletes and to identify specific athletes who need audiological evaluations to determine if a hearing loss exists and requires treatment. Criteria for Clinical Director: A properly certified Audiologist or Speech-Language Pathologist. If the Clinical Director is a Speech-Language Pathologist, there must be a properly certified Audiologist participating at the event to address questions and give advice concerning hearing problems of athletes or others. Opening Eyes Opening Eyes provide exams to Special Olympics athletes and educate athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of regular eye care. Special Olympics athletes who participate in an Opening Eyes exam may be fitted for new eyeglasses or sports goggles at no cost to the athlete. Criteria for Clinical Director: Vision Care Professional, Licensed Optometrist or Ophthalmologist. Special Smiles Special Smiles® is a non-intrusive dental exam. It provides athletes with hygiene education to help ensure they are doing an adequate job of brushing and flossing, as well as nutritional education to understand how their diet affects their total health. The athletes also are provided with a list of dentists/clinics in their area who will treat patients with special needs, should they have difficulty finding a dentist. Criteria for Clinical Director: A local volunteer clinical director can be a licensed dentist or dental hygienist. Licensed dentists and licensed dental hygienist can perform the actual exam. It is preferred that a dentist is on site at every exam but is not mandatory. Strong Minds Guided meditations and simple movements enhance the life-force energy. Athletes try a few different strategies as they move through the station. Athletes are asked what strategies like the best and volunteers provide them with visual reminders so they can use the tools in competition and in real life. Each athlete also receives a resource packet that includes tips for coping with stress as well as information sheets for family members and care providers. Criteria for Clinical Director: Certificate and current licensure as a Mental Health professional (ie. Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Counselor, Behavior Analyst, Nurse Practitioner, Physician.) MedFest People with intellectual disabilities who wish to participate in Special Olympics first need to receive a participation physical exam and clearance from their primary care physician. It is only after the athlete successfully completes the physical examination can they officially enter into Special Olympics sports programming, helping to assure the safe participation of every athlete. The program has since become one of the most effective tools for global growth for Special Olympics. A MedFest exam consists of vitals (blood pressure, height and weight), cardiology, abdominal, and musculoskeletal checks. Criteria for Clinical Director: Be a licensed physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner |
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Volunteer GuidelinesThere are two classifications for volunteers:
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