Early Childhood Skin Cancer Protection Education Tour 

June 19, 2016

EARLY CHILDHOOD SKIN CANCER PROTECTION EDUCATION TOUR

Free education materials, sunscreen and hats will be provided at multiple locations throughout Bay County

Contact:
Heather Kretzer
heather.kretzer@flhealth.gov
850-872-4455, ext. 1344

Panama City, Fla.— As part of the Community Health Improvement Plan for Bay County, the Community Health Task Force, Florida Department of Health in Bay County and Tyndall Health Promotion are teaming up to educate parents on protecting their children’s skin from damage that can later cause skin cancer. The agencies will be going on an Early Childhood Skin Cancer Protection Education tour throughout Bay County. They will be giving away education materials, sunscreen and hats while supplies last.

"A lot of people believe that you need to get that first burn of the summer in order to establish your baseline tan and that being pink is also just a part of having fair skin.  Importantly, people with higher concentrations of pigment and darker skin are still susceptible to sun damage. Being able to tan does not protect you from skin cancer so we're hoping to help people understand the importance of sun protection for everyone", said April Wisdom, PhD, MPH, CHES, Health Promotion Tyndall Air Force Base.

Chronic diseases were identified as an issue by the community to be addressed. The Chronic Disease action team chose to work towards bringing down instances of skin cancer including melanoma. This will be done through the strategy of educating parents on how just a few sunburns in childhood can have a life-long impact. Only five sunburns double a persons’ risk of developing melanoma.

Below are the confirmed tour locations:

June 20
Frank Brown Park
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

July 1
MLK Rec Center, Panama City
2:45 – 5:00 p.m.

July 8
Rick Seltzer Park
8:00 – 11:00 a.m.

July 11
Tyndall Air Force Base Housing Pool
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

July 13
Tyndall Air Force Base Pool
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Special thanks to Who Dey Prints and Embroidery for discounting the hats for this project. Also thanks to Bay County, Panama City, Tyndall Air Force Base and Panama City Beach for allowing us to bring this important education to their recreation areas. For more information on this initiative, contact Heather Kretzer, Community Health Task Force Liaison at 850-872-4455, ext. 1344 or email heather.kretzer@flhealth.gov.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

About the Community Health Task Force

The goal of Community Health Task Force is to develop and implement comprehensive, community-based health promotion and wellness programs in the Bay County area.

For more information about the Community Health Task Force please visit www.communityhealthtaskforce.org.