Impact Melanoma Installs Sunscreen Dispensers Throughout Tampa

Impact Melanoma (formerly Melanoma Foundation of New England), a national non-profit organization dedicated to working to reduce the incidence of melanoma, announced today that the organization will implement the distribution free, automatic sun screen dispensers throughout the city of Tampa in Florida at local pools and splash pads through their Practice Safe Skin initiative.

“We’ve made a lot of great strides throughout the country with our Practice Safe Skin program,” said Laurie Seavey, Practice Safe Skin Manager. “Never one to rest on past laurels, we continue to push forward, and are excited about this installation in the city of Tampa – one of the sunniest places on earth!”

The public will be able to find dispensers at such pool and splash pad locations as:

· Bobby Hicks Pool

· Copeland Pool

· Cuscaden Pool

· Cyrus Greene Pool

· Danny Del Rio Pool

· Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pool

· Interbay Pool

· Loretta Ingraham Pool

· Roy Jenkins Pool

· Spicola Family Pool

· Sulphur Springs Pool

· Williams Park Pool

· Anderson Park

· Ballast Point Park

· Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park

· Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Mist

· Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Louver

· Giddens Park

· Perry Harvey Sr. Park

· Springhill Park

· Water Works Park

“The goal for us, as always, is to provide education and tangible ways to help prevent skin cancers such as melanoma that stem from UV radiation due to exposure to the sun,” said Seavey. “We’re making a conscious effort to get people of all ages, and ethnicities to make sun safety an operative part of their daily routine. If we’re not protecting our skin, who is? It’s on all of us. This is our way of helping achieve a higher utilization rate of something as easily applicable as sunscreen.”

Seavey will be showcasing the dispensers and presenting some outreach awareness (as well as answering any questions the public may have) in Lykes Gaslight Park on May 1st from 10am – 3pm.

Melanoma is rising faster than any other cancer with one person every 50 minutes dying from the disease. Five or more sunburns before the age of 18 increases your melanoma risk by 80 percent.

Studies show that with daily sunscreen protection, the risk of melanoma is preventable. A recent nationwide study conducted by the MFNE showed that sunscreen use drops dramatically in the colder months and is lower among southern states.

Business or non-profits wishing to purchase or support a sunscreen dispenser can do so by visiting http://mfne.org/practice-safe-skin/ or calling 603-674-8156.

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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 launched a pilot program called Practice Safe Skin during the summer 2015 to donate free sunscreen throughout Boston parks and Massachusetts beaches at no cost to taxpayers. Following the success of the pilot program, Practice Safe Skin is expanded to cities and businesses across the country and is now in all 50 states.