Royal DSM is sponsoring Destination Healthy Skin, The Skin Cancer Foundation’s mobile skin cancer education and screening program. The Destination Healthy Skin recreational vehicle (RV) travels around the United States from May to September, providing free full-body skin cancer screenings in two private exam rooms built into the RV. The foundation recruits local volunteer dermatologists to perform the screenings and provide skin cancer prevention and early detection literature.
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Overall, the program has provided more than 25,000 free skin cancer screenings and identified more than 10,000 potential skin cancers and precancers, including 450 suspected melanomas. Tens of thousands of people have received free skin cancer educational materials and sun protection products through the program. This spring and summer, the RV will visit 23 cities.
Stephen Wood, senior direction for DSM Personal Care North America, said, “For us at DSM, we find it to be a particularly concerning time as the United States moves into summer with its traditional outdoor seasonal rituals—gardening, outdoor exercise and of course, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day holidays spent at the beach and backyard BBQs—which all greatly increase a person’s exposure to the sun and the potential risk of developing skin cancer. It is here in this moment that we see a tremendous need to reeducate the public about the importance of practicing safety when out in the sun.”
Dan Latore, executive director of The Skin Cancer Foundation, said, “We’re grateful to our corporate partners and individual donors who help us deliver this very important public service. In addition to the people we serve directly with screenings, this program helps our early detection message reach millions more through media coverage, social media and word of mouth. No one who sees the RV can miss the call to action printed on the driver’s side: ‘What’s That? It could be skin cancer.’”