Springfield – Nearly 400 children will participate in the Healthy Hoops Challenge on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Healthplex^® Sports Club, 194 West Sproul Road in Springfield, next to Springfield Hospital. The event will wrap up the 2006 Healthy Hoops Program, an innovative community-based program that combines asthma education and basketball targeting children with asthma from Chester and Philadelphia. 

Sponsored by Keystone Mercy Health Plan, AstraZeneca and the Healthy Hoops Coalition, the daylong Healthy Hoops Challenge will include health assessments, hands-on asthma and obesity education for children and their families; basketball skill building sessions from local coaches Sonny Hill, executive director with the Philadelphia 76ers, Speedy Morris, former men’s basketball coach at LaSalle University, and Brian Daly, head boy’s basketball coach at Monsignor Bonner High School; and entertainment for the whole family. In addition to asthma management, the program targets childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease.

“This innovative program seeks to educate the whole family in a fun-filled, spirited way that teaches children with asthma and their families that they can still be active,” said Anne Morrissey, president, Pennsylvania Managed Care, Keystone Mercy Health Plan. “The goal of Healthy Hoops is to provide families with the information and resources to help children lead healthier lives, through appropriate medication use, exercise and proper nutrition.”

The Healthy Hoops Challenge wraps up the 2006 program, which includes a series of asthma and obesity health screenings and health assessments, health education programs and a fall basketball clinic for the Healthy Hoops participants.

“We love the Healthy Hoops Program and come back every year,” said Valarie Burton, mother of a child with asthma who has participated in the program for three years. “My son knows his pressure points and what triggers his asthma, and he can take control of his asthma, which helps him play sports.”

The program’s results have been extremely positive. Results from children who participated since the beginning of the program show a 26 percent decrease in ER visits, 13 percent decrease in rescue medication use, 10 percent increase in preventive medication use and 70 percent decrease in nocturnal awakenings sleep disturbance.

Background

Healthy Hoops was developed to help children with asthma, the most common chronic disease among children, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. According to the 2002 Household Health Survey, 10 percent of children under the age of 18 in Southeast Pennsylvania have asthma, representing nearly 105,000 children in the region. 

The program continues to follow the 2003-2005 participants from West, North and Northwest Philadelphia, and Chester, PA, reinforcing the importance of good nutrition, proper medication use and exercise in managing asthma to parents and children alike. To date, over 1,100 local children with asthma, their parents and siblings have participated in the Healthy Hoops program.

The Healthy Hoops Coalition is comprised of Asthma Educators, AstraZeneca, ChesPenn Health Services, Crozer-Keystone Health System, Greater Philadelphia Health Action, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, STEPS to a Healthier Philadelphia, health care providers, asthma specialists and basketball coaches.

About Keystone Mercy Health Plan

Keystone Mercy Health Plan is Pennsylvania's largest Medical Assistance (Medicaid) managed care health plan serving more than more than 274,000 Medical Assistance recipients in Southeastern Pennsylvania including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Keystone Mercy Health Plan is a mission driven, health care ministry of the Sisters of Mercy with more than 20 years of experience. Its corporate parent partners are Mercy Health System and Keystone First, a subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross. Keystone Mercy's mission is to help people get care, stay well and build healthy communities. Keystone Mercy has a special concerned for those who are poor. For more information about Keystone Mercy Health Plan, please visit www.keystonemercy.com.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services.  It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $23.95 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products.  In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $10.77 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. For more information about AstraZeneca, visit: www.astrazeneca-us.com.

About Crozer-Keystone

Crozer-Keystone Health System is the largest employer and health care provider in Delaware County. The health system comprises five hospitals, a comprehensive physician network of primary-care and specialty practices, and the Healthplex® Sports Club. The health system provides a full spectrum of wellness, prevention, acute care, rehabilitation and restorative care to the community. For more information, contact 1-800-CK-HEALTH or visit www.crozer.org.

About the Healthplex® Sports Club

As the region's premier health club, the Healthplex® Sports Club offers state-of-the-art facilities for all of your fitness and wellness needs; an experienced staff; a range of special programs and leagues for people of all ages; and convenient personal services. Call 610-328-8888 or visit www.healthplex.net for more information.