AmeriHealth Mercy Medicaid - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Medicaid
Pennsylvania Healthcare
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Pennsylvania Health Plan Medicaid
Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Coverage
Pennsylvania Health Plan Medicaid - Keystone Mercy Health Plan Pennsylvania Health Plan Medicaid - AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan

Prescription Drug Coverage
Healthcare

Medicaid, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, AmeriHealth, AmeriHealth Mercy, Health, Plan, Members, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan, Perform Rx, Providers, Healthcare, Medical Assistance, Drug Formulary, Preferred Drug List, Covered Drugs, Provider List, Hospital List, Enroll, Enrollment, Premiums, Coinsurance, Deductable, Coverage Gap, Eligibility, Co-insurance, Copay/copayment, Emergency care, Generic drugs, Medically necessary services, Over the Counter (OTC) Drugs, Practitioner, Primary Care Provider (PCP), Urgent care, Special Needs Plan, SOBRA - Poverty level pregnant women and children, TANF - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, SSI without Medicare - Individuals who are medically needy, aged, blind and disabled, SSI with Medicare - Individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income and Medicare benefits, CHIP - Children of families eligible for Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Eligibility for CHIP is based on the family's income, Foster Care - Children placed in out-of-home care by the state of Pennsylvania, Presumptive Eligibility - Temporary benefits for expectant mothers, Welfare, Medical Assistance

Counties
Adams, Berks, Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Perry, Pike, York, Pennsylvania Hospitals GETTYSBURG HOSPITAL READING HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER SAINT JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER GNADEN HUETTEN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PALMERTON HOSPITAL CARLISLE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER HOLY SPIRIT HOSPITAL ODYSSEY HEALTHCARE OF ALLENTOWN PINNACLE HEALTH SYSTEMS HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER PINNACLE HEALTH SYSTEMS CHAMBERSBURG HOSPITAL WAYNESBORO HOSPITAL COMMUNITY MEDICAL CENTER MERCY HOSPITAL SCRANTON MOSES TAYLOR HOSPITAL EPHRATA CHF CLINIC EPHRATA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL HEART OF LANCASTER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER LANCASTER GENERAL HOSPITAL LANCASTER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER GOOD SHEPHERD REHABILITATION HOSPITAL LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL SACRED HEART HOSPITAL ALLENTOWN SAINT LUKES HOSPITAL OF ALLENTOWN HAZLETON GENERAL HOSPITAL MERCY SPECIAL CARE HOSPITAL - NANTICOKE ST JOSEPH HOSPITAL POCONO MEDICAL CENTER EASTON HOSPITAL LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL MUHLENBERG SAINT LUKES HOSPITAL OF BETHLEHEM HANOVER GEN HOSPITAL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OF YORK YORK HOSPITAL

Press Releases: 2005

Successful Asthma Education Program Grows to Help More Local Families Touched by Asthma; Adds New Component for Younger Kids with Healthy Hoops, Jr.

Two Members of State Champion Chester High School Boys Basketball Team Living with Asthma to Help Kick-Off 3rd Year of Healthy Hoops during Asthma Awareness Month

Philadelphia, PA - Keystone Mercy Health Plan and the Healthy Hoops Coalition are expanding the successful Healthy Hoops program to target asthmatic children from Chester, PA, where asthma rates among children are higher than average, while continuing to follow up with past participants from North and West Philadelphia. New this year is Healthy Hoops, Jr. for younger asthmatic children (ages 2-6), allowing the program to reach even more children and families living with asthma.

This year’s Kick-Off event, sponsored by AstraZeneca and Crozer-Keystone Health System, will be held Sunday, May 22, from 1-4 p.m. at Dave and Buster’s, 325 N. Columbus Blvd. As part of the Kick-Off, the Healthy Hoops Program is honoring the Chester High School Basketball State Champions. Two of the team’s players, Brion Chambers and Darren Govens, are successful basketball players living with asthma.

The event also will include health assessments and hands-on asthma education and training from area health care professionals; basketball coaching sessions for the children from local legends Jim “Bo” Boyle, Sonny Hill and Speedy Morris; and entertainment for the whole family. In addition to focusing on asthma management, this year’s program also will target childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease, as they relate to asthma.

Designed by Keystone Mercy and the Healthy Hoops Coalition, Healthy Hoops is an innovative community-based program designed to show children with asthma and their families how to properly take their medication and manage their asthma, the most common chronic illness among children in the United States. 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 uses basketball to teach the importance of regular exercise and nutrition in managing asthma. The program was launched in 2003 with families from West Philadelphia with tremendous results: The number of participants visiting the emergency room for asthma-related difficulties dropped 78 percent, and there was a significant reduction in asthma-related sleep disturbances. Because of the positive results, last year the program expanded to include families from North Philadelphia. To date, over 600 local children with asthma, their parents and siblings have participated in the Healthy Hoops program.

General Asthma Information
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated nine million children under the age of 18 have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives. Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalizations among those younger than 15. It also carries a huge economic toll, accounting for 14.6 million lost days of school annually and an estimated $3.2 billion per year to treat those 18 and younger. Currently, there is no cure for asthma. Children and adolescents who have asthma can still lead productive lives by controlling their asthma through medication and avoiding contact with environmental "triggers," such as cockroaches, dust mites, pets, mold, tobacco smoke and certain chemicals.

For additional information about the Healthy Hoops Program, please visit www.keystonemercy.com/community/healthyhoops. For more information and tips on managing your child’s asthma, please go to www.breatheinfo.com.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international research based pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceutical products. The company produces a wide range of products that make significant contributions to patient care and treatment options for cancer and gastrointestinal disorders, anesthesia (including pain management), cardiovascular disease, respiratory and neurological disorders. AstraZeneca PLC is headquartered in London with its U.S. headquarters located in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information about AstraZeneca, please 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 Keystone Mercy Health Plan
Keystone Mercy Health Plan, a healthcare ministry of the Sisters of Mercy in affiliation with Keystone First, Inc., is the largest Medical Assistance managed care organization in Pennsylvania, serving more than 296,000 Medical Assistance recipients. Keystone Mercy's mission is to provide accessible, quality health care services to its members, with a special concern for the poor and disadvantaged. For more information about Keystone Mercy Health Plan, please visit www.keystonemercy.com.



	The Healthy HoopsSM Solution \| Case Study \| Program Features
	In the News \| Press Releases \| Contact Us