Free Skin Cancer Screenings to be Offered in Chestertown, Easton and Cambridge

In the past decade (2008 – 2018) the number of new melanoma cases diagnosed annually in the U.S. has increased by 53 percent and more than 91,000 cases of melanoma were diagnosed in 2018. Melanoma accounts for less than one percent of skin cancer cases, but the vast majority of skin cancer deaths: More than 9,000 people will die of melanoma in the U.S. in 2019.

In observance of May as National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and in partnership with local health departments and dermatology practices, UM Shore Regional Health will offer free skin cancer screenings as follows: in Chestertown on Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Kent County Health Department, 125 South Lynchburg Street (to register, call 410-778-7970); in Easton on Thursday, May 16, 5 to 8 p.m., at Easton Dermatology Associates, 403 Marvel Court (to register, call 410-820-6800); and in Cambridge
on Thursday, June 13, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Shore Dermatology, 100 Bramble Street, Suite 1 (to register, call 410-820-6800).

“We encourage anyone who is uninsured or under-insured to sign up for this free and potentially life-saving screening,” says Jeanie Scott, manager, Cancer Center at Shore Regional Health. “Last year, 156 individuals participated and nearly one-third of them were referred for diagnostic testing and/or follow-up care.”

Information about strategies for protection against sun damage and an individualized risk assessment quiz can be found at skincancerprotection.org

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As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together