Press Releases: 2010

AmeriHealth Mercy Builds Eighth Playground for Philadelphia Area Youth

Keystone Mercy Health Plan’s Safe Playground Program Helps Children Stay Active and Combat Childhood Obesity

August 12, 2010
Philadelphia, PA – The AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies’ Philadelphia-area Medicaid managed care plan, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, recently completed construction of its eighth playground for children in the Greater Philadelphia region. The playground, which was part of Keystone Mercy’s Safe Playground program, was built for the Woodland Academy Child Development Center in Southwest Philadelphia.

Keystone Mercy, the largest Medicaid managed care plan in Pennsylvania, launched the Safe Playground program in 2007. The program encourages children to participate in healthy, physical activity by creating safe play areas that reduce potential injuries as a result of outdated or poorly maintained equipment. Keystone Mercy started the program to address steadily rising obesity rates among school-aged children, especially those from lower-income families.

More than 50 volunteers assisted with the construction process, including Keystone Mercy employees, parents, school officials, sponsors and community leaders. Executives from two other AmeriHealth Mercy companies, Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. and MDwise Hoosier Alliance in Indiana, were on hand to assist with the playground build.

All eight playgrounds are located in areas that were previously vacant or had unsafe or outdated playground equipment that needed to be replaced. Volunteers usually complete the playground assembly process in one day. The colorful, multi-level playgrounds are more than 1,300 square feet and include slides, tunnels, ladders and shaped landings, all surrounded by protective safety tiles or mulch.

“Childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent in our community and many families are facing this serious health issue,” said Jay Feldstein, DO, Regional President, Northeast, and Corporate Chief Medical Officer, AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. “We know that the lack of physical activity is a contributing factor and the Safe Playground program supports our mission of building a healthier community by contributing to a child’s development of healthy behavior patterns through play.”

In a 2005 survey of nationally recognized pediatricians, conducted by Harris Interactive, 96 percent of the respondents said they believed that activity on playgrounds benefits the mental and social development of children; 89 percent said that play keeps children from becoming overweight and 82 percent agreed that play develops a child’s problem-solving skills, which may lead to increases in academic performance.