Let’s Go! Program to Receive 10,000 Maine State Park Passes for Patients

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Let's Go

For Immediate Release

Primary Care Practices in the Let’s Go! Program to Receive 10,000 Maine State Park Passes for Patients Courtesy of State Bureau of Parks and Land and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation

Portland, Maine (July 10, 2014) – Primary care physicians at 124 practices across Maine who participate in the Let’s Go! program will be able to provide their patients and families with more than 10,000 free Maine State Parks passes courtesy of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands, Let’s Go! and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.  The free pass is good at any of Maine’s 48 state parks and historic sites, with the exception of Baxter State Park, and valid through December 2014.

“This partnership will allow more families to enjoy the great Maine outdoors,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “Our state is renowned for its countless recreational opportunities, as well as its endless natural resources to explore, and Maine State Parks are excellent places to have fun and promote healthy, active lifestyles.”

“Maine’s 48 state parks and historical sites offer unmatched beauty and accessibility,” says Tom Morrison, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands Director. “Many families who experience our parks for the first time frequently find themselves planning their next visit on the drive home. We are pleased to offer these passes to Let’s Go! for use with physicians and their patients throughout Maine.”

Participating physician practices will receive their free passes starting July 7th.

“Spending time in the outdoors is a great way to keep the whole family active,” says Victoria Rogers, MD, Let’s Go! Director. “This program introduces kids to the many activities available in our state park system —  from hiking and swimming, to biking and kayaking — and shows them that physical activity can be fun and a great learning experience, too.”

Let’s Go!‘s 5-2-1-0 daily message encourages healthy eating and increased physical activity for the whole family: 

  • 5 or more fruits or vegetables
  • 2 hours or less recreational screen time
  • 1 hour or more of physical activity
  • 0 sugary drinks, more water, and low-fat milk 

“We want to help prevent childhood obesity by creating healthy opportunities for children and their family to stay active,” says Karen Voci, president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, which funds programs that prevent and combat childhood obesity by changing the environments where kids play and learn “Through the Foundation’s support, Let’s Go! is encouraging doctors to promote the 5-2-1-0 messaging with their patients, and focus on ways to build a  lifetime of wellness. These free park passes make it affordable for families to enjoy the great outdoors and embrace an active and healthy way of life.”

This is the third year that parks passes have been made available to Let’s Go! pediatricians.

Visit www.letsgo.org to learn more about the Let’s Go! program.

For more information on Maine state parks and historic sites, go to: http://www.parksandlands.com

For more information on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, visit www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation

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Media Contact:

Caitlin Loveitt

Marketing Manager
Let’s Go!
Phone: 207-662-3825
Email: cloveitt@mmc.org