Press Releases: 2007

Clemson's Coach Purnell Teaches Healthy Hoops® to Kids with Asthma

Asthma Education - Asthma Screenings - Basketball Activities -All Free!

Greenville, SC - Hundreds of kids with asthma and their families are expected to turn out for free asthma screenings, health screenings, asthma education, and basketball activities that will be led by Clemson University's Coach Oliver Purnell and other high profile coaches from across the country on Saturday, May 12th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Potential Sports Academy, 130 Arrowhead Court in Greenville.

Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. together with Greenville Hospital Systems, Amerihealth Mercy, and the Healthy Hoops® Coalition will host the Healthy Hoops® Basketball Challenge – a free, fun-filled day for all families of children with asthma.

The Healthy Hoops® Program sponsors free one-day basketball challenges throughout the year to teach children with asthma and their families how to better manage the disease through appropriate medication usage, proper nutrition, monitored exercise and recreational activities. Peak flow and spirometry asthma screenings and health screenings are an important component of the challenge events. In addition to focusing on asthma management, Healthy Hoops® targets decreasing childhood obesity and increasing cardiovascular activity, particularly in children with asthma

"To teach kids with asthma how to be actively involved in playing sports is why Healthy Hoops® is such an important program," says Purnell. "Many of these kids say they were not allowed to play at recess and participate in sports because they were told that it would cause an asthma flare up. The Healthy Hoops® Program shows and proves otherwise. That's why I jumped at the opportunity to partner with an organization like Select Health whose mission is all about helping people get care, stay well, and build healthy communities."

Camp participants will also receive basketball instruction from Greenville resident and Head Coach of Women's Basketball at Southern Wesleyan University, LaCheryl Smith, St. Joseph Prep's "Speedy" Morris, and Philadelphia's All Ball! Organization.

In 2005, Healthy Hoops® was launched in the Midlands and expanded to the Upstate last year. Nearly 200 families showed up at the Healthy Hoops® Basketball Challenge held last October at the Cleveland Street Family YMCA of Greenville. "This year, we're expecting to see a majority of the families from last year as well as new ones," says J. Michael Jernigan, President and CEO of Select Health of South Carolina. "The great thing about Healthy Hoops® is that it's free and engages all families of children with asthma to live healthier lives."

The Healthy Hoops® Program has helped over 1000 families receive life-saving health information about how to better manage asthma, stay active, and improve their overall health forecast.

AmeriHealth Mercy, a national Medicaid managed care organization, created the original Healthy Hoops® Program in 2003 in Philadelphia, PA.

Registration for the Healthy Hoops® Basketball Challenge is free and participants must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Call 1.866.HOOPS.SC. to pre-register and for additional information.

ABOUT SELECT HEALTH
Select Health of South Carolina is the state's oldest and most experienced provider of Medicaid medical homes for over 75,000 families in 36 South Carolina counties. Select Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmeriHealth Mercy. To learn more about Select Health, visit www.selecthealthofsc.com.

ABOUT THE Healthy Hoops® COALITION
The Healthy Hoops® Coalition serves as a steering committee for the Healthy Hoops®   Program and is a partnership between the following regional and national private sectors, non-profit organizations, and professionals: AllBall! Organization, American Lung Association, Coach Bobby Cremins of The College of Charleston, Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands, Brookland Baptist Church, City of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, Cleveland Street Family YMCA of Greenville, Communities in Schools of Greenville, DAE Foundation, Coach Dave Odom of The University of South Carolina, Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers, Elite Speed and Strength, Family Connection of South Carolina, Franklin C. Fetter Family Health Center, Greenville Family Partnership, Greenville Hospital Systems, Greenville Tech, Hope World Wide, Office of Minority Health/DHEC, Coach Oliver Purnell of Clemson University, Phillis Wheatley Association, Potential Sports Academy, Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church, Richland County School District One, Schering-Plough, SC Asthma Alliance, SC Association of School Nurses and SC Society for Respiratory Care, Coach Susan Walvius of The University of South Carolina, and WXLC Kiss 98.5.