February 1999 AAOS Report
Volunteers sought for AAOS Special Olympics program
The Academy is seeking volunteers to staff its
"Healthy Athletes Initiative" educational booths and
to conduct foot health screenings of Special Olympics
athletes at the 1999 World Summer Games, June 26-July
4, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Special Olympics athletes are
youth and adults with mental retardation, many of
whom also have physical disabilities. William W.
Tipton Jr., MD, Academy executive vice president,
said the Academy is launching the project to
raise people's awareness of the musculoskeletal health
care needs of America's 7.5 million people with mental
retardation. With nearly 7,000 athletes from 160 countries
competing at this year's summer games, the foot screenings
present an important research opportunity to collect data
on musculoskeletal conditions of this specific population.