White Plains, N.Y. – As City of White Plains officials work to begin to open parks and pools, White Plains Hospital wants to help families in the community with an essential health precaution: protection from skin cancer.
As a reminder of the importance of prevention and routine care, the Hospital has partnered with the City of White Plains to offer contactless dispensers to provide free SPF 30 sunscreen at parks and pools throughout White Plains this summer.
The sunscreen dispensers will be unveiled on Tuesday July 7th at 10:30 a.m. at a kick-off event at Gillie Park tennis courts (85 Gedney Way, White Plains) attended by White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, Dawn French, White Plains Hospital’s Senior Vice President, Community Relations and Marketing, and Kelly Christman, RPA-C, a board certified dermatologist with White Plains Hospital Physician Associates.
A total of 15 sunscreen dispensers will be available at locations throughout White Plains, including: Gillie Park, Delfino Park, Gardella Park and Pool, Kittrell Pool, Baldwin Farm Community Gardens and Turnure Park.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer – and according to the American Cancer Society there were more than 5 million new cases in the United States last year. “Sunscreen is the first line of defense in reducing the risk of skin cancer and should be part of your everyday routine,” says Ms. French. “We are so pleased to partner with the city to encourage the use of sunscreen by making it accessible at pools and parks around the city.”
More than 3,800 residents in New York State are diagnosed with melanoma each year; it is among the top ten cancer diagnoses among New York State residents. For young adults ages 20 to 34 years, melanoma ranks among the top four cancer diagnoses. About 648 New Yorkers die from skin cancer each year and approximately 75% of these deaths are due to melanoma.
“We know that our residents have been looking forward to enjoying our parks, pools, and playgrounds,” said Mayor Roach. “With the support of White Plains Hospital, these contactless sunscreen dispensers make it easy for everyone to do that safely. By following our new protocols that allow for social distancing, and by applying sunscreen as recommended by the Hospital’s dermatologists, we’ll have a happier, healthier summer.”
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. The Hospital is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Center for Cancer Care, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, with more than 60,000 patient visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, MD, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, New Rochelle, Somers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale. The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital received Magnet® designation in 2012 and 2016 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades®. It is a three-time recipient of an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group, for Spring 2019, Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, and in 2019, was the only Hospital in Westchester to be named Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. http://www.wphospital.org