Press Releases: 2006

Innovative Basketball Program Educates Children with Asthma at Fall Challenge

2006 Healthy Hoops Offers Free-One-Day Basketball Camp

Charleston, SC- Over 300 kids with asthma and their families are expected to turn out for asthma screenings, parent education, and basketball lessons at the Healthy Hoops Basketball Challenge on Saturday, October 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Cleveland Street YMCA, 721 Cleveland Street.  Registration is free.   

Camp participants will receive basketball instruction from Basketball Legend and Executive Advisor of the Philadelphia 76ers, Sonny Hill, Former LaSalle University Coach William “Speedy” Morris, Coach Brian Daly of Philadelphia’s All Ball Organization, and Potential Sport Academy of Greenville’s Coach LaCheryl Smith. 

Sponsored by Select Health of South Carolina, Greenville Health Systems Children’s Hospital, 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’re excited about the expansion of Healthy Hoops to include both the Upstate with Clemson University’s Coach Oliver Purnell and the Midlands with Coaches Dave Odom, Susan Walvius, and Tammy Holder, says J. Michael Jernigan, President and CEO of Select Health of South Carolina.  Purnell will participate in the 2007 Spring Basketball Challenge and will deliver a videotaped message of encouragement at the 2006 Fall Basketball Challenge.

“And with the community’s support, this innovative health outreach program will be available to even more families of children with asthma so that they can manage their asthma and live a healthy lifestyle, ”says Jernigan.

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.

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.