In an effort to proactively fight skin cancer, Sarah Bush Lincoln is providing free sunscreen at seven area swimming pools this summer including Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Marshall, Shelbyville, Tuscola and Newton.
In 2008, Sarah Bush Lincoln initiated its own commitment to skin cancer prevention by providing free sunscreen to the public at local pools. The first pool to have a sunscreen station was the Lytle Park Pool in Mattoon. After the initial launch, Charleston, Oakland and Casey swimming pools received the stations, though the Casey pool has since closed. The program expanded further in 2016, when sunscreen stations were established at community pools in Marshall, Shelbyville, and Tuscola and the Newton Aquatic Center was added to the mix for the first time this year. The dispensers — which feature a high quality, water-resistant broad spectrum sunscreen offering UVA and UVB protection — are available for use by both swimmers and staff.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer. More than a million new cases are reported each year in the U.S. and most could have been prevented with proper skin care protection. Providing free sunscreen gives the Health Center an opportunity to help create healthier communities, one of its missions.
In order to get maximum benefits from sunscreen, it should be applied 30 minutes before going outside and then re-applied every two hours or right after swimming, toweling off, sweating or strenuous exercise.
For more information about the sunscreen stations, contact the SBL public relations department at (217) 258-2113.