Advancing Health Equity: The Global Partnership Between Nestlé Health Science and Special Olympics

In a major step toward health equity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), Nestlé Health Science has announced a $2 million multi-year global partnership with Special Olympics. The collaboration, which extends through 2029, focuses on expanding access to critical health screenings and care for one of the most medically underserved populations in the world.

At the heart of the partnership is support for the Special Olympics Motor Activity Training Program (MATP), which serves athletes with profound IDD and high support needs. Unlike other Special Olympics programs, MATP is designed for individuals who are not traditionally included in competitive sports due to the severity of their physical or cognitive challenges. These athletes often face a vastly different set of health concerns—ones that existing screening protocols have not fully addressed. This new initiative seeks to change that.

The partnership builds on the long-standing Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® program, which since 1997 has provided over two million free health screenings globally. With Nestlé Health Science’s support, a new, specialized Healthy Athletes screening tool is being developed specifically for MATP participants. The goal: to proactively identify and manage the five most common—and preventable—causes of premature death in people with profound IDD, commonly referred to as the "fatal five": aspiration, dehydration, infection, bowel obstruction, and seizures.

These conditions often go undiagnosed or untreated due to communication barriers, lack of caregiver training, and limited access to appropriate care. The new screening model will not only assess individual risk factors but also connect athletes to further medical evaluation where needed. Equally important, it will serve as an educational platform for caregivers and families, many of whom have historically been left without reliable support systems in healthcare settings.

The global nature of the partnership was evident from its launch at the Special Olympics Winter World Games in Turin in March 2025. There, Nestlé Health Science staff not only volunteered on the ground but also began to integrate with the athlete community. That collaboration deepened during the first regional MATP seminar and Family Health Forum held in Abu Dhabi in October, where programs from across the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region and representatives from Special Olympics Africa convened to discuss athlete health, leadership, and family engagement.

As part of the international agreement, Nestlé Health Science has also committed to supporting the upcoming Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2027 and the World Winter Games in 2029. But beyond event sponsorship, the real legacy of this partnership may lie in the structural changes it enables—integrating more inclusive screening protocols into global health systems and offering sustained support to the most vulnerable within the IDD community.

With this alliance, Special Olympics and Nestlé Health Science are not just expanding access to care—they are actively reshaping what equitable healthcare can look like for people too often left behind.