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Philadelphia Eagles' Hank Baskett Helps North Philadelphia Children Learn About Managing Asthma

Baskett Shared His Experiences with Asthma at a Recent Healthy Hoops Event

November 12, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
– The Healthy Hoops® Program recently hosted a basketball clinic and asthma education event on November 11th at the North Philadelphia Salvation Army for a group of children with asthma and their families who are clients of Impact Services, a non-profit organization which has served Philadelphia's neediest citizens since 1974. At the event, the children got a chance to meet Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Hank Baskett, who kicked off the program by speaking about his experience managing his asthma while playing sports.

At the event, Baskett reassured the children that they can still be active and play sports even though they have asthma, and spoke to them about the ways they can keep their bodies healthy in order to do that. He also urged parents to ensure that their children use preventive medications on a regular basis to keep their asthma under control, and encouraged them to monitor their children's physical activity without being too quick to make them stop playing, which prevents them from developing their fitness level and improving their lung capacity.

Healthy Hoops is an innovative asthma management program that uses basketball as a platform to teach children with asthma and their families how to proactively manage the disease through proper nutrition, exercise, and medication use. Tuesday's event included health assessments for participating children, asthma education for the parents provided by the American Lung Association, and basketball coaching sessions for the children from Philadelphia basketball legends Jimmie Baker, Bill Fox, Brian Daly, and Speedy Morris.

Healthy Hoops was developed in response to the growing problem of asthma among children, and has been serving disadvantaged children with asthma and their families in the Philadelphia area since 2003. Healthy Hoops is presented by Keystone Mercy Health Plan in collaboration with the Healthy Hoops Coalition, made up of local health organizations and basketball coaches, and is supported by AstraZeneca.

Asthma affects about 9 million children, causing nearly 4 million asthma attacks and more than 641,000 emergency room visits each year.* The problem is especially severe for children living in poverty.

Philadelphia Eagles' Hank Baskett Helps North Philadelphia Children Learn About Managing Asthma

About Keystone Mercy Health Plan
Keystone Mercy Health Plan, a member of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, is a Medical Assistance (Medicaid) managed care health plan serving more than 300,000 Medical Assistance recipients in southeastern Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Keystone Mercy Health Plan is a mission-driven company dedicated to helping members get care, stay well, and build healthy communities. Its corporate parent partners are Mercy Health System and Keystone First, a subsidiary of Independence Blue Cross. For more information about Keystone Mercy Health Plan, please visit www.keystonemercy.com.

*According to the Centers for Disease Control.

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