ACCC Members Bring Sun Safety Awareness to their Communities

May is designated as Skin Cancer Awareness Month and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has named today “Don’t Fry Day” to encourage sun safety awareness.

As we head into the summer, community swimming pools open, families and friends gather for picnics and barbecues, and thousands head to beaches and lakes for fun in the sun. Recent statistics from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) make clear the critical need to keep sun safety on everyone’s radar screen:

• Estimates are 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime
• 8,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day
• Melanoma rate in the U.S. have doubled from 1982 to 2011

This month and throughout the year, ACCC Cancer Program Members and their staff play an important role in educating their communities on skin cancer prevention, early detection, and screening. For example:

In Delaware, Christiana Care Helen F. Graham Cancer Center schedules free Skin Cancer Screening Awareness programs just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. The evening education sessions—offered in both English and Spanish—include information on self exams, risk factors, and how to protect yourself and your family. The programs use AAD materials and also promote a Delaware state skin cancer education and awareness program.

In Maryland, at Atlantic General Hospital, Regional Cancer Care Center, skin cancer awareness activities during the month of May include a digital display slide on hospital lobby TVs calling attention to the need for farmers to stay skin safe; Facebook posts with sun safety tips and resources; and free skin checks by Atlantic General Dermatology at the Annual Ocean City Health Fair.

In Idaho, St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute, developed the POOL COOL program to bring sun safety education to community swimming pools.

Each year, Skin Cancer Awareness Month serves as a call to action, an opportunity to spread the message on sun safety and skin cancer prevention. ACCC thanks all of our member programs and their multidisciplinary care providers for their efforts in May—and throughout the year—promoting health in their communities through education on prevention, screening, and early detection.