BREATHING
EASY:
Healthy Hoops Kentucky
Helps Children & Families
Understand Asthma
W
hen life gives lemons to the
youngest of us, making lemonade
may be the furthest thing from
our minds. For children with asthma, the idea
of doing something as simple as playing basketball may seem painfully out of reach.
With the help of local physicians and volunteers, Healthy Hoops Kentucky has opened
up a world of possibilities to children between
the ages of 7 and 13 suffering from asthma.
This year’s Healthy Hoops Kentucky Tip-Off
Event, held at Moore Traditional High School
for the seventh consecutive year, promises a
full day of health awareness, entertainment,
asthma screenings, basketball drills led by U
of L legend Darrell Griffith and more.
“Just because your child has asthma doesn’t
mean they can’t participate in a sport,” said
Marcelline Coots, Healthy Hoops Kentucky
Program Manager and Community Engagement Manager at Passport Health Plan. Coots
has been a part of Healthy Hoops Kentucky
since its inception seven years ago.
“Many times we hear children say, ‘I have
asthma so I can’t play basketball or tennis. I
have to sit on the sideline.’ And it shouldn’t
have to be. As long as the asthma is well controlled, the child should be able to participate
in any sport,” she said.
Asthma can be scary. Watching someone
you love gasp for air is something not easily
forgotten. And, the affliction is eerily common. Asthma is the most common childhood
chronic disease and the third leading cause
of child hospitalization. While a child’s lungs
will develop with age, they don’t necessarily
outgrow asthma.
VITAL SIGNS Volume 9 • Issue 2
In the face of these concerns, Healthy Hoops
Kentucky is designed to bring a communal
atmosphere to learning. Asthmatic children,
their siblings, and their parents/guardians
can come together, learn and play without
being subjugated to undue peer pressure or
put downs.
“This has really become a family event. The
parents come. The siblings come. The grandparents come. We try to make it fun for the
whole family,” said Coots. The annual event
allows parents, too, to breathe a little easier,
armed with the knowledge that they and their
children can overcome this hurdle.
As the event begins, participants register for
mandatory health screenings, discuss medication and create a personalized action plan.
Workshops for parents provide tips and prevention facts. Doctors and nurses are on hand
to answer any and all questions related to the
health of the children present. Children and
parents both answer a quality of life questionnaire to see how they’re managing the
asthma and children can be diagnosed and
even prescribed medicine on-site.
“It’s a huge community collaboration,” said
Michael Rabkin, Director of Communications
at Passport Health Plan. “We get the healthy
portions out of the way first, because once
you hand a child a basketball, you can’t ask
them to sit down.”
The Healthy Hoops Kentucky Coalition, made
up of private organizations, the public sector,
community groups, and health care experts
from around Louisville, is enthusiastic to
reach more community members. “I love the
fact that we’re not just telling children to go
out, exercise and figure it out on their own,”
Rabkin said. “We’re taking a subset of kids
who have asthma and showing them they
don’t have to sit on the sidelines. You can
come out and play.”
Joining the doctors and volunteers is basketball legend and Honorary Chair of Healthy
Hoops Kentucky Darrell Griffith. Griffith, who
led U of L to its first NCAA basketball championship in 1980 and later played 11 years in
the NBA for the Utah Jazz, has been a part of
Healthy Hoops Kentucky from the start. With
his Louisville connections, Griffith is able to
bring in other athletes and volunteers who
otherwise might not be aware of the program.
“I’m honored and proud to have been involved
in the Healthy Hoops Kentucky event for so
many years,” said Griffith. “The work that we
do to help these young people manage their
asthma and learn how they can stay physically active has changed their lives.”
Sponsors for Healthy Hoops Kentucky include the University of Louisville, Kroger,
AstraZenica and more. Initially developed by
AmeriHealth Caritas and continued by Passport Health Plan, Healthy Hoops Kentucky
is organized by a wide-ranging coalition of
sponsors and organizations throughout the
state.
Over 120 children were given asthma screenings at the 2013 Healthy Hoops Kentucky
Tip-Off event, and the program is expecting even more this year. The program is free
with lunch included. For more information on how to register or volunteer, visit
www.healthyhoopsky.com or call (502) 5858429.
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