Neighbor News
Medfield Parks & Rec Among 54 Locations to Receive Free Public Sunscreen Dispenser through “Practice Safe Skin” Program
Melanoma Foundation of New England Installs Free Sunscreen Dispensers Across the Nation
MEDFIELD, MA (August 3, 2016) - Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE), a non-profit aimed at reducing the incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, selected Medfield Parks & Recreation as a recipient of 2 free sunscreen dispensers for public use, part of the nonprofit’s Practice Safe Skin program expansion to 54 new locations in 12 states this summer.
“We are extremely honored to have been chosen by MFNE as a recipient of these sunscreen dispensers,” said Medfield Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Ryder. ”We have found great value in having the sunscreen dispensers available at both our summer camp and the swim pond to keep our kids and members safe while in the sun.”
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Medfield Parks & Recreation was selected through a January 2016 RFP process. The dispensers were installed at the Pfaff Community Center for use during summer camp and at the Hinkley Swim Pond for use of anyone taking advantage of the local swimming area. Both were installed by department staff at the start of the summer and have been in use since.
“We are thrilled to expand on our highly successful pilot program in Boston and offer sunscreen units for public and private distribution throughout the country,” said Deb Girard, Executive Director, MFNE. “We hope sunscreen dispensers will become as commonplace as hand sanitizers over the next few years.”
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The specially designed dispensers 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 four 1000 mL bags of sunscreen (670 applications per bag) and 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 machines upon installation.
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.
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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, MFNE and partner Make Big Change (MBC) 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, the Practice Safe Skin initiative is expanding to give cities and businesses across the country the ability to offer this public safety program. MFNE will continue to donate free sunscreen dispensers to the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Recreation for state beaches in 2016.
MFNE is subsidizing the cost and procurement of the free public units through private and corporate sponsorship donations, and funds raised by MFNE’s Running for Cover, one of the Boston Athletic Association’s® Official Charity Teams for the Boston Marathon. MFNE is also using this platform to expand their year-round public education programs aimed at melanoma prevention and detection. MBC is the New England provider of state-of-the-art automated sunscreen dispenser units. Since 2014 MBC has worked to place sunscreen-dispensing devices across high-traffic areas in New Hampshire including public parks and beaches.
For more information about the RFP process or to inquire about pricing, see http://mfne.org/practice-safe-skin/, call 1-800-557-6352 or email info@mfne.org.
About the Melanoma Foundation of New England
The Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE) was founded in 1999 by Mel and Marilyn Rubin in memory of their son Mark who lost his battle with melanoma. MFNE’s mission is to reduce the incidence of melanoma in the New England region. We provide a variety of educational programs targeting the prevention and early detection of skin cancer and melanoma for both children and adults. MFNE also assists patients and their caregivers struggling with melanoma by offering support groups, educational programs, and Billy’s Buddies, a one-on-one patient advocacy and support program. These programs are all free. The Melanoma Foundation of New England is a non-profit 501( c )( 3) organization.
