Press Releases: 2006

Innovative Basketball Program Educates Children with Asthma at Fall Challenge

2006 Healthy Hoops Offers Free-One-Day Basketball Camp

Columbia, SC - Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. and the Healthy Hoops Coalition will host the Healthy Hoops Basketball Challenge on Saturday, October 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the USC Basketball Practice Facility, 600 Assembly Street.  The Fall Challenge is a fun-filled day of asthma education, health screenings, and basketball lessons for nearly 300 children, ages 7 to 15, and their families.  Registration is free, but required.  Call 1.866.HOOPS.SC for more information. 

USC Coaches Dave Odom, Susan Walvius, and Tammy Holder together with former LaSalle University Coach William “Speedy” Morris, and Coach Brian Daly of Philadelphia’s All Ball Organization will give camp participants one-on-one basketball instruction.

Sponsored by Select Health of South Carolina, Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Inc., AstraZeneca, AmeriHealth Mercy and the Healthy Hoops Coalition, Healthy Hoops teaches children and their families how to manage asthma through appropriate medication usage, proper nutrition, monitored exercise and recreational activities.  In addition to focusing on asthma management, the program targets decreasing childhood obesity and increasing cardiovascular activity, particularly in children with asthma.   

“We are excited about the expansion of Healthy Hoops to include both the Midlands, with USC Coaches Dave Odom, Susan Walvius and Tammy Holder, and the Upstate, with Clemson University’s Oliver Purnell,” says J. Michael Jernigan, President and CEO of Select Health of South Carolina.

“It’s because of the support from the community that this innovative health outreach program is available to even more families of children with asthma,” says Jernigan. “Our focus is to provide these families with information so that they can manage their asthma and live a healthy lifestyle.” 

In 2005, Select Health of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, AstraZeneca, Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Inc., the Healthy Hoops Coalition, and a host of healthcare providers and asthma advocates launched Healthy Hoops in Columbia, SC (Midlands).  AmeriHealth Mercy, a national Medicaid managed care organization, created the original Healthy Hoops program in 2003 in Philadelphia, PA.

Camp participants will also enjoy live entertainment and an awards ceremony. Lunch will be provided.

ABOUT SELECT HEALTH
Select Health of South Carolina has been serving families in South Carolina for over a decade. As the state’s largest provider of Medicaid medical homes, the Select Health insurance plan, First Choice, serves nearly 75,000 members in 36 South Carolina counties. Select Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmeriHealth Mercy. To learn more about Select Health, logon to www.selecthealthofsc.com.

ABOUT THE HEALTHY HOOPS COALITION
The Healthy Hoops Coalition is a partnership between private sector and non-profit organizations. Serving as a steering committee for the Healthy Hoops Program, the coalition is made up of volunteers from the Acceleration Sports Institute, American Lung Association, Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands, Brookland Baptist Church, Cleveland Street Family YMCA of Greenville, Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Family Connection of South Carolina, Greenville Tech, IMARA Woman Magazine, Office of Minority Health/DHEC, Potential Sports Academy, Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church, Richland County School District One, SC Asthma Alliance, SC Association of School Nurses, and SC Society for Respiratory Care, Within Reach, and WLXC’s Kiss 98.5.

ABOUT EAU CLAIRE COOPERATIVE HEALTH CENTERS, INC.
The Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Inc. (ECCHC) is a federally qualified, mission driven group of community health centers committed to providing comprehensive, high quality compassionate medical care in the spirit of the Good Samaritan to families in the Midlands.  For more information about the Cooperative, visit www.ecchc.org.

ABOUT ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca is a major international research based pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (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.