Northport – Huntington Town Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci and Councilman Ed Smyth co-sponsored a new skin cancer prevention initiative, paid for entirely by Huntington Hospital-Northwell Health, with sixteen SPF 30 sunscreen dispensers installed at Town beaches, parks and recreational facilities using no taxpayer funding.
“We are always looking for new ways
to provide solutions without using taxpayer funding,” said Supervisor
Lupinacci, who sponsored the resolution for the new skin cancer prevention
program. “Rest assured that if you visit a Town of Huntington beach and forget
your sunscreen, we are now equipped with free sun protection at no cost to you
– or the Town – thanks to Huntington Hospital-Northwell Health.”
“We are proud to partner with the
Town of Huntington to provide to the community an important tool for skin
cancer prevention. This joint program allows residents to enjoy the sun in a
safe manner at our beautiful parks and beaches,” explained Randy Howard, Vice
President of Operations at Huntington Hospital.
“Rates of skin cancer have been
increasing over the past several decades,” explains Michael Dannenberg, MD,
Chairman of Dermatology at Huntington Hospital. “By applying sunscreen
regularly while outside and wearing UV protective clothing, this disease
becomes much more preventable.”
The new initiative, sponsored
entirely by Huntington Hospital-Northwell Health, uses no taxpayer funding.
Sixteen sunscreen dispensers equipped with SPF 30 sunscreen lotion were
installed this week at fourteen locations across Town parks, beaches, and golf
courses, and will be monitored and refilled regularly. Creative Advertising
Concepts helped coordinate the initiative and designed the signage for the
dispensers.
Sunscreen dispenser locations
include Asharoken Beach, Breezy Park, Centerport Beach, Crab Meadow Beach (2
sunscreen dispensers), Crab Meadow Golf Course, Crescent Beach, Dix Hills Pool
(and Dix Hills Golf Course when the pool is closed for the season), Elwood Park
(Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo Memorial Spray Park), Fleets Cove Beach, Gold Star
Battalion Beach, Hobart Beach, Manor Field Park, Quentin Sammis West Neck Beach, and Veterans
Park.
Former Town Councilwoman, and now Suffolk County Legislator, Susan A. Berland spearheaded a skin cancer prevention pilot
program in 2016 with one dispenser donated by the Melanoma Foundation of New
England, now known as IMPACT Melanoma, installed at Crab Meadow Beach.
“I
am so pleased that the Town of Huntington is continuing the sunscreen program
that I began as a Councilwoman in 2016. It is so important that we do all we
can to prevent melanoma and applying sunscreen is the first step in the battle
against skin cancer,” said Legislator Berland.
In
2017, the Town purchased 12 additional sunscreen dispensers and IMPACT Melanoma
donated two more dispensers. The Town purchased sunscreen for the dispensers
and installed them at various Town beaches, parks and recreational facilities.
The 15 original sunscreen dispensers were taken out of service at the end of
the 2017 summer season due to equipment malfunctioning.
Approximately 484 cases of skin
cancer are reported yearly in Suffolk County; 48 Suffolk County residents die
annually from the disease.
Video: http://huntingtonny.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=1574
In the photo (l-r): Deputy Director
of Parks and Recreation Bill Musto; Director of Parks and Recreation Greg
Wagner; Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci; Randy Howard, VP of Operations,
Huntington Hospital; Dr. Michael Dannenberg, Chairman of Dermatology,
Huntington Hospital.
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