PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Thanks to a grant from Maine Cancer Foundation, Northern Light AR Gould Hospital and several local recreation departments have partnered to provide free sunscreen stations in the region during summer activities.
“Each of these stations includes free SPF 30 sunscreen, along with refills and educational information on the use of sunscreen and how to apply it properly,” explains Dawn Roberts, community health and volunteer coordinator at the hospital. “We want to get more people using sunblock to protect their skin from the sun’s harmful rays. Our goal is also to increase awareness of the importance of sunscreen, other ways to protect skin while outside, and the signs and symptoms of skin-related cancers.”
“Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, but also one of the most preventable cancers out there,” says Kelsey Nadeau, FNP, DCNP, a family nurse practitioner in Northern Light Dermatology in Presque Isle. “It’s important for people to take precautions while outside, even on cloudy days, so they aren’t exposed to harmful UV rays.”
These precautions include applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which should be reapplied every two hours, especially if out in the sun or spending time in the water. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can damage the DNA in skin cells, which can lead to skin cancer. In the US, more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, and at least one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
“Rec centers offer a wide variety of programming over the summer for children and adults. Some of them may not be able to afford sunscreen or may forget to bring it. That’s why the rec centers made perfect partners to collaborate with on this sun safety project,” says Roberts.
Fifteen area recreation departments are receiving these stations as part of the grant funding. The hospital ordered and filled the stations and created educational handouts, while the rec departments are now responsible for installing and refilling the stations over the summer. After the funding from the grant is over, the dispensers will become the property of the rec centers.
Recreation departments receiving stations in the first round of this two-year project are Presque Isle, Caribou, Easton, Ashland, Mars Hill, Washburn, Van Buren, Fort Kent, St. Agatha and the Limestone Wildlife Refuge and Recreation Department. In all, 18 stations will go to these locations, while two will be “traveling” stations that the hospital will offer to local towns for their summer festivals, such as the Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield.
“We are hoping that having sunscreen available where people need it will make it more likely that they will remember to apply it, while offering it at no costs cuts out the financial barrier for those who can’t afford to make sunscreen a priority,” explains Roberts.
Additional stations will be purchased next year, with the total amount dependent on funding. The distribution plan is still being developed. Roberts notes that non-profit locations who want a sunblock station next year can reach out to her at the hospital to be placed on a waiting list.
In addition to sunscreen, Nadeau advises that other important strategies to protect yourself from the sun include wearing loose, light-colored, long-sleeved clothing to protect your skin; wearing a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses; and seeking shade, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when UV rays are strongest.
As the head of the hospital’s community health efforts, Roberts often works collaboratively with the local recreation departments and other non-profits to help solve problems and provide education on different topics that impact the health and wellbeing of the community.
