The Northwell Health Cancer Institute is sponsoring more than 150 free sunscreen dispensers across the five boroughs and throughout Long Island this summer.
There are 75 dispensers with SPF 30 sunscreen available at all New York City aquatic centers; 51 at beaches throughout the five boroughs, including Rockaway Beach, Coney Island, Staten Island, Orchard Beach and Manhattan Beach; one at Central Park; and 40 in various parks and recreational centers across Long Island, including three at Jones Beach State Park and two at Robert Moses State Park.
Northwell Health is very responsive to the needs of the communities it serves. Community members expressed the need for free sunscreen to be more readily available during the summer months at key locations such as beaches, parks and pools.
“Sunscreen is a vital part of keeping our skin safe and preventing skin cancer,” said Dr. Richard Barakat, physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. “It is rewarding to know that with these additional opportunities to apply sunscreen hopefully fewer people will be diagnosed with skin cancer.”
Skin cancers are the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 80,000 new cases of melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer, were reported in the United States to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 (the most recent year available). Nearly 9,000 people died of the disease that year.
Other steps people can take to protect their skin include wearing wide-brimmed hats and ultraviolet (UV) protective clothing as well as staying in the shade during peak hours around noon.
For more information about Northwell Health Cancer Institute, call 855-858-8550.
Submitted by Northwell Health
