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Press Releases: 2006

Innovative Asthma Program Pilots Wellness and Fitness Program in West Philadelphia

Healthy Hoops Kicks Off 2006 During Asthma Awareness Month

Philadelphia,PA – Keystone Mercy Health Plan and the Healthy Hoops Coalition are kicking off the fourth year of the successful Healthy Hoops Program, an innovative asthma management program that uses basketball as a platform to teach children with asthma and their families how to properly take medication and manage asthma, targeting asthmatic children from West and North Philadelphia and Chester, PA.

This year’s Kick Off event, sponsored by AstraZeneca and Crozer-Keystone Health System, will be held Sunday, May 7, from 1-5 p.m. at St. Joseph’s University, 5600 City Avenue in Philadelphia.

As part of the Kick Off, the Healthy Hoops Program is piloting a new health and fitness program, in association with the Mercy Circle of Care, targeting families in West Philadelphia. The pilot program, titled “Healthy Hoops Family Fit Program,” will offer Healthy Hoops families memberships and services to health and fitness programs, to improve their health by changing behaviors toward exercising and healthy eating to improve their quality of life.

“The new health and fitness program with Mercy Circle of Care will increase our involvement with the Healthy Hoops families and further emphasize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle,” said Maria Pajil Battle, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing at Keystone Mercy Health Plan.

The Kick Off event begins the 2006 program that will follow participating families through parent education sessions and health screenings through the summer and wrap up with fall basketball camp.

The Healthy Hoops Kick Off will include health assessments and hands-on asthma education; basketball coaching sessions for the children from local coaches Sonny Hill, Speedy Morris and Brian Daly of “All Ball”; parent education sessions; and entertainment for the whole family. In addition to focusing on asthma management, the program will target decreasing childhood obesity and increasing cardiovascular activity, as they relate to asthma.

“The success of the Healthy Hoops Program is due to the unique and innovative collaboration of the Healthy Hoops Coalition,” said Daniel J. Hilferty, President and Chief Executive Officer, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, and visionary of the Healthy Hoops program. “The goal of Healthy Hoops is to continue to grow and expand, even nationally, so we can help more families live a higher quality of life.”

AstraZeneca will award 12 families with camp scholarships to Healthy Hoops participants at the Kick Off. The scholarships are for Healthy Hoops participants to attend various basketball camps this summer.

Background

Healthy Hoops was developed to bridge the racial-disparity gap of 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.

The program was launched in 2003 with families from West Philadelphia and, due to the tremendous results, expanded in 2004 to include families from North Philadelphia and Chester, PA in 2005. 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.

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 http://www.keystonemercy.com/community/healthyhoops/.

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, please visit: www.astrazeneca-us.com.

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 273,000 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.



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