Pat’s Pizza, Healthy Acadia Partner to Prevent Underage Drinking, Reduce Tobacco Use
For Immediate Release
Date: February 18, 2021
Program Contact: Katie Sell, Healthy Acadia, (207) 255-3741 or Katie.Sell@HealthyAcadia.org
Media Contact: Tracey Carlson, (207) 667-7171 Ext. 112 or Tracey@HealthyAcadia.org
Pat’s Pizza, Healthy Acadia Partner to Prevent Underage Drinking, Reduce Tobacco Use
Machias. If you’ve recently stopped into Pat's Pizza for lunch or dinner, you may have noticed a sticker on your pizza box emblazoned with, “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most,” and wondered what it was all about. The popular Machias restaurant is partnering with Healthy Acadia to help prevent underage drinking.
According to the most recent Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (2019), nearly 1 in 4 high school students in Washington County reported consuming alcohol within the preceding 30 days. Pat's Pizza has agreed to partner with Healthy Acadia with the “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” campaign by including stickers on their pizza boxes to support family and community health and discourage underage drinking.
The "Parents Who Host, Lose the Most" campaign is a public awareness project launched by the Prevention Action Alliance designed to remind parents not to host teenage drinking parties. The campaign educates parents about the risks of furnishing alcohol to youth and increases awareness of underage drinking laws. As part of the project, Healthy Acadia is distributing "Parents Who Host" materials, including the stickers, to community partners in an effort to reduce underage drinking rates in Washington and Hancock counties.
Pat’s has also joined in efforts to curb tobacco use and smoking, implementing a tobacco-free policy in December, 2020, to discourage smoking and smoking products, including tobacco and marijuana. Restaurant owner Bill Burke also hosted a virtual learning session for his staff offered by Healthy Acadia which explored tobacco cessation resources, including the Maine QuitLink, and is installing signage at the restaurant’s entrances to create awareness and consistent messaging about tobacco.
Pat's took advantage of a tobacco-free policy mini-grant funding that Healthy Acadia has available right now to help businesses and organizations in Washington County to create, update and/or implement their own tobacco- and smoke-free policies. If your business or organization is located in Washington County and you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to support a tobacco- and smoke-free working environment, please contact Katie Sell at Katie.Sell@HealthyAcadia.org.
Visit www.HealthyAcadia.org for more information about their substance misuse prevention programs, including school-based programming and other outreach efforts.
Healthy Acadia is a 501(C)(3) community health organization building vibrant communities and making it easier for all people to lead healthy lives throughout Washington and Hancock counties. For more information about Healthy Acadia’s health initiatives, visit www.HealthyAcadia.org.
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