Medical Outreach

GVDSS provides support to the local medical community both through education and as a resource to support the medical community in serving the health needs of the Down syndrome community. Past activities have included self-advocates and families speaking to medical students about their needs and expectations with respect to health care. We provide new parent information and resources to local neo-natal units and other health professionals that are usually the first point of contact between a new parent with a pre- or post-natal diagnosis. To support health care professionals best support families during the initial diagnosis, we promote the availability of fair and balanced information on both the medical diagnosis and life experiences of individuals with Down syndrome.

The presentation at left was prepared by GVDSS and delivered to a group of local health care professionals in the pre-natal and neo-natal fields. Additionally there are some great resources available to support both families and medical professionals in supporting new or expectant families.