Supporting Healthy Living

These health programs target members with certain health conditions and assist them in managing their conditions.

Programs for pregnant members

Keystone First is dedicated to providing quality care for moms-to-be. Through our programs for pregnant members, we connect mothers to the care they need.

Health Ministry program

The Health Ministry program provides health and wellness information in a faith-based environment, including churches, synagogues and mosques. The 40-Day Journey is a component of the Health Ministry program that engages women in a 6-week educational series emphasizing nutrition, exercise, and medication compliance. The 40-Day Journey was recognized by NCQA with its Innovations in Multicultural Healthcare award in 2008, and by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) with its Community Leadership Award in 2009. Thousands of people have received lifesaving health screenings including mammograms, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol screenings through the Health Ministry program.

Gift for Life

Keystone First's Gift for Life program aims to increase the number of female members receiving routine mammograms. Our partnership with Fox Chase Cancer Center and Lackawanna mobile mammography vans enables us to deliver the screenings to members at convenient neighborhood locations, like grocery stores. The program targets women who have never had a mammogram or who have not been tested in over two years. Keystone First’s community outreach team increases participation through phone calls – providing encouragement and counseling to members, scheduling appointments, and offering gift card incentives for completed screenings.

Lose to Win diabetes and weight management program

In 2009, Keystone First kicked off its Lose to Win program, a 12-week program that helps members with type-2 diabetes learn the importance of regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and living a healthy lifestyle. The program was presented in partnership with five local branches of the YMCA of Philadelphia and vicinity, where members participated in fitness programs, personalized wellness coaching, nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations

At the end of the 12-week program, we celebrated the success of the 115 members who completed the program, and each received a year-long membership to the YMCA to encourage them to keep up the good habits they developed during the program.

Healthy Hoops program

Healthy Hoops® is an innovative health education program that uses basketball as a platform to help children with asthma and their families learn about the disease and how to manage it through appropriate nutrition, medication use, and monitored exercise. The program has been shown to decrease emergency room visits and hospital stays related to asthma, and Healthy Hoops families also report increased use of controller medications with subsequent decreased use of rescue medications, decreased nocturnal awakenings, and improvement in asthma control test results and overall quality of life.

Youth. Philly. Fit.

In partnership with City Year, Keystone First introduced Youth.Philly.Fit. to promote a healthy lifestyle to children. Trained Wellness Mentors implement the program which is designed to engage 6th through 8th graders from eight Philadelphia middle schools. Students participate in fun, exciting physical activities and receive tips on making healthy food choices.

4 Your Kid's Care

4 Your Kid’s Care is a pediatric program that educates members on how and when to use the emergency room. It is designed to reduce the high volume of pediatric patients being admitted to the ER by encouraging ongoing relationships with primary care practitioners. In the program’s first year, pediatric ER visits by Keystone First members decreased 25%.

Toothy Tune-Ups

Through Keystone First’s Toothy Tune-Ups, dentists and hygienists provide children with oral assessments, teeth cleanings, sealants, fluoride treatments, and tooth fillings, as well as ongoing care through referrals to primary care providers or dentists at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.