Orlando Health and Special Olympics Florida Partnership
Cary D’Ortona, president of Orlando Health Medical Group, and senior vice president of Orlando Health; Andy Gardiner, Orlando Health senior vice president, external affairs and community relations; James Holder, Special Olympics Florida athlete; and Sherry Wheelock, president and CEO of Special Olympics Florida were on hand to greet Special Olympics Florida athletes arriving in Orlando for the State Summer Games.
Orlando Health and Special Olympics Florida partnership
Special Olympics Florida athletes arriving in Orlando for Special Olympics Florida’s 2024 State Summer Games.
ORLANDO, Fla., May 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Special Olympics Florida has announced a new, five-year agreement with Orlando Health, continuing a partnership that first began in 2019.
As part of the agreement, Orlando Health will:
- Serve as a Special Olympics Florida sponsor over the next five years
- Serve as the Official Medical Sponsor for Special Olympics Florida’s Race for Inclusion Orlando fundraiser
- Serve, along with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, as the Official Healthcare Sponsor for Healthy Athletes and Young Athletes
- Provide complimentary physicals for Special Olympics Florida athletes
- Host annual physical fairs and provide athletic trainers for select competitions
“Orlando Health and its team members have been incredible supporters of our mission and our athletes,” said Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock. “We are so grateful for everything they have done to ensure our athletes have access to quality health care. We are thrilled they have chosen to continue this remarkable partnership.”
The partnership designates Orlando Health as the “Official Healthcare Partner for the Healthy Athletes and Young Athletes Programs, for the Central Florida and Tampa Bay Regions.”
To celebrate the partnership, Orlando Health and Special Olympics Florida officials gathered on May 17 at the Brightline Orlando Station to welcome more than 150 Special Olympics Florida athletes, their coaches, and their families to Central Florida for the 2024 State Summer Games. Orlando Health is the official health and wellness partner of Brightline Orlando and station naming partner “Brightline Orlando Station in partnership with Orlando Health.”
“This renewed partnership with Special Olympics Florida continues our commitment to these athletes who count on Orlando Health for their care during the State Summer Games and beyond,” said Cary D’Ortona, President, Orlando Health Medical Group and Vice Chair, Board of Directors Special Olympics Florida. “The doctors, nurses and other medical staff are always determined to give athletes and their delegations the world-class medical coverage our patients experience every day.”
About Special Olympics Florida: Founded in 1972, Special Olympics Florida provides year-round sports training and competition, crucial health services, and life-changing leadership programs to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It serves more than 70,000 Special Olympics athletes annually, at no cost to athletes or their families.
