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Sunscreen Program
Town of Grand Island Among Dozens of Nationwide Locations to Provide Free Public Sunscreen through "Practice Safe Skin" Program
Roswell Park along with IMPACT Melanoma, a non-profit aimed at providing education, prevention, and support for the most serious form of skin cancer, has provided 4 sunscreen dispensers to the Town of Grand Island for public use, as part of the nonprofit's Practice Safe Skin program.
The dispensers have been installed at Veteran's Park and are now available for public use. The specially designed dispensers, which are being purchased and installed across the country, are part of Practice Safe Skin, a program that offers sunscreen as an effective preventive measure to help avoid sun over-exposure year-round. Each sunscreen dispenser is equipped with sunscreen that contains an all-natural blend of 6% zinc and 6% titanium SPF-30 sunscreen, safe for people aged 6-months and up. Ingredients are printed on the dispenser.
A recent study from The University of Colorado cited this program as an influencing force behind the decrease in melanoma rates in the Northeast. Melanoma is rising faster than any other cancer with one person every 50 minutes dying from the disease. Studies show that with daily sunscreen protection, the risk of melanoma is preventable.
About Practice Safe Skin
In response to the Surgeon General's 2014 Call to Action to address skin cancer as a major public concern, IMPACT Melanoma and partner Bright Guard launched a pilot program called Practice Safe Skin during the summer of 2015 to donate free sunscreen throughout Boston parks and Massachusetts beaches at no cost to taxpayers. Following the success of the pilot program, the Practice Safe Skin initiative is expanding to offer cities and businesses across the country the ability to purchase and provide this public safety program.
About IMPACT Melanoma
IMPACT is a national non-profit organization dedicated to working to reduce the incidence of melanoma. Committed to skin cancer prevention and early detection, we provide a variety of award-winning programs which aim to raise awareness and educate the public about skin cancer, as well as support services for those struggling with the disease.
In Memory of David Petit
The sunscreen dispensers were donated in memory of David Petit, a long-time resident of Grand Island who died in 2008 at the age 55 after a two-year battle with melanoma. At the time of his diagnosis, doctors at Rowell Park explained that this deadly form of skin cancer was likely caused by sun damage that occurred when he was a child. His family hopes that making sunscreen readily available will raise awareness about skin cancer, believing that if even one person is spared from a future diagnosis of melanoma, then their efforts were well worth it.