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Program to assist basketball athletes in controlling asthma offered free Children with asthma will have access to free ongoing support, screenings, and health education to help them put their symptoms to rest thanks to a new local basketball event. The Healthy Hoops Charleston Challenge will be held at 9 a.m. July 28 at the John Kresse Arena, 30 George St. Children, ages 7 to 15, are urged to participate.   The S.C. 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.   Children will participate in basketball activities led by the College of Charleston’s coach, Bobby Cremins, and other coaches from across the country. Select Health of South Carolina Inc. together with Franklin C. Fetter Family Health Centers, Amerihealth Mercy, and the Healthy Hoops Coalition have partnered to bring this program to the Lowcountry.   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.   According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, nearly 15,000 Charleston county residents suffer from asthma. It is the leading cause of hospitalization for children under 18, and one of the leading reasons for the most missed school days.   Basketball coaches for both women and men in colleges and universities throughout the United State will teach camp participants how to play basketball while effectively managing their asthma condition.   While this is the first time that the Healthy Hoops Program is offered to Lowcountry families, the program was launched in 2005 in the Midlands with the support of University of South Carolina’s head coaches Dave Odom and Susan Walvius, and expanded to the Upstate last year with Clemson’s Oliver Purnell as a participating coach.   The Healthy Hoops program has helped nearly 2,000 families receive life-saving health information on how to better manage asthma, stay active, and improve their overall health forecast.   Registration for the Healthy Hoops Basketball Challenge is free. Participants must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and siblings are invited to attend. For information and to pre-register, call (866) 466-7772.     Friday, July 20, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.