AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership Safe Playground Build Program Reaches Spartanburg with Select Health of South Carolina’s First Choice FitSM Playground
July 29, 2014
Area businesses and organizations invited to partner with project
SPARTANBURG, SC – Select Health of South Carolina and AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership will build a First Choice FitSMplayground adjacent to the C.C. Woodson Community Center, located at 210 Bomar Avenue in Spartanburg as part of the Partnership’s Safe Playground Build program. The Safe Playground Build program has built 25 playgrounds currently serving approximately 7,500 children each year in the United States.
The wheelchair-accessible playground will be built by a community coalition in a single day on November 21. Select Health offers First Choice, the oldest and largest Medicaid health plan in the state, and is part of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies.
“A playground is an investment in the health of a community and the families who live there,” said Cindy Helling, executive director of Select Health. “It provides a safe and fun space for children to play and allows families to stay fit and connected to their neighbors in the community.”
The First Choice FitSM playground’s main structure will be designed for children ages five to 12. Features of the site will include slides, monkey bars, a climbing wall and more. A playground visioning event will be held at the C.C. Woodson Community Center to give children from the surrounding neighborhoods an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, and help choose playground features and a color scheme.
The first coalition partner to join Select Health and AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership was the Marcus Lattimore Foundation. They were involved in the site selection process and continue to work to build community partnerships to support the project. Lattimore, former University of South Carolina star running back and current San Francisco 49er, has an existing relationship with Select Health as its First Choice FitSM spokesperson. In this role, Lattimore promotes adolescent health and wellness and the importance of physical activity, eating right and building a relationship with a primary care physician as well as annual well visits.
The Marcus Lattimore Foundation credits Select Health and AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership for the resources they are contributing and for using a collaborative effort to engage the local community. “The end result will be a positive place for our children to play, laugh and grow,” said Yolanda Smith, Lattimore’s mother and vice president of the Foundation. “Our whole family grew up on playgrounds, and we recognize the importance of outdoor physical activity. Playing video games or browsing the Internet cannot build athleticism or improve anyone’s health, so we urge our community to get behind this important project.”
The City of Spartanburg, which owns and operates the C.C. Woodson Community Center, also has joined the coalition and will provide the land, assistance with site preparation and landscaping as well as continued maintenance and youth activity programming after the build is completed.
“Citizens of Spartanburg will soon have even more opportunities to stay fit, active and healthy at the C.C. Woodson Community Center thanks to our partnership with Select Health, AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership and the Marcus Lattimore Foundation,” said Mitch Kennedy, director of community services at the City of Spartanburg. “By incorporating the First Choice FitSM playground directly into our youth programming, we’ll maximize its impact and further contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the City’s Parks and Recreation System.”
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, preventable injuries are the leading cause of death for children under the age of 14 in the United States. In fact, more than 14 million children sustain preventable injuries that require medical attention each year. These injuries are one of the leading causes of emergency room visits for children insured by AmeriHealth Caritas and the impetus behind AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership’s Safe Playground program.
“Safe playgrounds encourage physical fitness, help prevent childhood obesity, reduce youth violence and school absenteeism and boost academic performance. They also connect families and promote social and emotional development in children,” said Maria Pajil Battle, president of AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership. “In today’s world, it’s important for children to get outside and play in a place that’s worry-free. This playground really does have the power to change a child’s world, which is our mission.”
Founded in 2011 by AmeriHealth Caritas as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership works to address health disparities through community health initiatives that promote health, wellness and overall quality of life. AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership, in collaboration with AmeriHealth Caritas health plans, identifies communities where high percentages of children are living at or below the poverty level and are lacking safe play areas. Then, in conjunction with community partners and sponsors, they build a playground in one day.
This will be AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership’s third playground build in S.C. In 2012, AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership and Select Health led a successful effort to build a playground, fitness area and refurbished recreational facilities including a basketball court at Pinehurst Park in Columbia. In 2013, AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership and Select Health led a community effort to build a playground adjacent to the Chicora Place Community Garden in North Charleston.
“We’re excited to begin this project with strong partners, and we hope that more businesses and individuals will join us in making this vision a reality for the community,” said Helling. Area businesses, organizations or individuals interested in joining the coalition and lending financial support to the project can contact Michael Saia, media relations specialist at Select Health, at (843) 746-7565 or [email protected].
For more information about Select Health, visit www.selecthealthofsc.com. For more information about AmeriHealth Caritas Partnership, visit www.amerihealthcaritaspartnership.org.
Select Health of South Carolina Mission:
To help people get care, stay well and build healthy communities.
About Select Health
Incorporated in 1995, Select Health was licensed as a Health Maintenance Organization by the South Carolina Department of Insurance in 1996. Later that year, the company contracted with the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to offer First Choice, which is now the state’s oldest and largest health plan for Healthy Connections, South Carolina’s Medicaid program. First Choice serves members in all 46 counties statewide.
Select Health is dedicated to providing access to high quality health care. First Choice by Select Health of South Carolina is the highest nationally ranked health plan for South Carolina Healthy Connections at #40 on the National Committee of Quality Assurance’s (NCQA’s) Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2013-2014. (Note: The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) uses other criteria for evaluating and ranking the performance of health plans serving Medicaid beneficiaries. To view these results, please visit www.scdhhs.gov/reports-statistics). Select Health also holds NCQA’s Multicultural Health Care Distinction.
Select Health is a wholly-owned member of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies.
