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The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and White Plains Hospital Center announced today participation in a national public education initiative to attack the problem of underage consumption of alcohol beverages through parent-child communications. The program is funded by a three-year, $600,000 grant from Heineken USA and marks the first time a major medical institution has joined with an alcohol beverage company on a program to reduce underage drinking.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and its partner members, the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and the White Plains Hospital Center, will develop the program materials.

"We are very pleased to receive support from Heineken USA to develop an initiative to fight underage drinking by helping parents communicate effectively with their children about this difficult and important issue," said Dr. Arthur Klein, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.

"This initiative, supported by Heineken USA, is in perfect alignment with NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System's mission to prevent disease and injury," said Dr. Daniel Hyman, Medical Director of the Ambulatory Care Network at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The program will include educational materials in print and internet formats, as well as presentations by authors of the content. These materials are all designed to help adults send an effective, positive message to teenage children about the risks of alcohol consumption, and provide them with strategies to help them act safely and responsibly.

"We are excited about joining in this important program," said Jon B. Schandler, President and CEO of the White Plains Hospital Center. "Here in Westchester County, we have seen the effects of underage drinking. But we have also seen that with the cooperation of companies like Heineken USA, progress can be made."

"We at Heineken USA are proud of our long term commitment to responsible consumption," said Frans van der Minne, President and CEO, Heineken USA. "In our view, responsible consumption for younger people means abiding by the law – following the 21-year-old legal age requirement.

"We endorse a multi-pronged effort to address underage drinking," Mr. van der Minne continued. "Providing materials that will help parents engage their underage children in a constructive dialogue about underage drinking is an important element of that effort, and we are pleased that the NewYork-Presbyterian and White Plains Hospital Center will be utilizing their expertise to develop credible and effective materials on this important subject."

Parent-child communications on alcohol is the first topic to be addressed in a series of materials that will focus on issues surrounding underage consumption of alcohol beverages.

In addition to funding the development, Heineken USA will put the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and White Plains Hospital Center materials on www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com, starting this summer. The company will also be working with its national distributor network to provide these materials to communities throughout the country.

NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, the largest secular not-for-profit non-governmental healthcare system in the U.S., is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective, and accessible care to communities throughout the greater New York Metropolitan region. The System, made up of 38 acute care hospitals, 100 ambulatory sites, 16 residential healthcare facilities, three specialty institutions, and more than 15,000 affiliated physicians, serves one in four patients in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. The System is also the largest not-for-profit employer in New York City. System members are affiliates of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University or Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. During 2003, System institutions discharged more than 560,000 inpatient cases and saw more than 5,700,000 cases on an outpatient basis. For additional information, visit www.nyp.org.

Heineken USA

Heineken USA Inc., the nation’s largest beer importer, is a subsidiary of Heineken International (Netherlands), which is the world's most international brewer. Brands imported into the U.S. include: Heineken Lager, the world's most international beer brand; Heineken Dark; Amstel Light, the largest-selling imported light beer brand; and Buckler non-alcohol brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from FEMSA Cerveza of Mexico. Please visit www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.