Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, Rotary Club of Concord provide free sunscreen

Pictured, from left: Jody Blumberg, Director of the Payson Center for Cancer Care, Megan Ryder, Oncology Dietitian at the Payson Center for Cancer Care, Dr. Warren Emley, President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Concord, Laurie Seavey, Practice Skin Safe Manager for IMPACT Melanoma, and David Gill, Concord Parks & Recreation Department Director.

Free sunscreen will be available to the Concord community at various locations this summer. Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer purchased multiple automatic sunscreen dispensers thanks to a grant from the Rotary Club of Concord.

The dispensers, which will provide natural SPF 30 sunscreen lotion, will be accessible at all seven of Concord’s parks with pools (Garrison, Keach, Kimball, Merrill, Rolfe, Rollins and White) when the pools open on June 16. This project is in collaboration with IMPACT Melanoma, a national non-profit organization dedicated to working to reduce the incidence of melanoma; as well as community partners Capital Area Wellness Coalition, and the Concord Parks and Recreation Department.

“Our goal is to have a positive impact on the health of our community by making sun protection convenient and readily available in high-traffic areas and outdoor spaces, like our community pools,” said Jody Blumberg, Director at Concord Hospital’s Payson Center. “Practicing sun-safe behaviors, such as sunscreen application that protects the skin from intense UV exposure, can help prevent skin cancers, including melanoma.”

“The Rotary Club of Concord is proud to support this project and provide this free resource to the community in places where sun exposure is prevalent,” said Rotary Club of Concord President-Elect Warren Emley. “As a retired physician, I have seen the firsthand effects of skin cancer and encourage everyone to use adequate sun protection. Data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that Merrimack County has a higher rate of melanoma than the rest of the state, and we also have the highest sunburn prevalence, so having sunscreen readily available to our community is so important.”

“The Parks and Recreation Department is extremely grateful to the Payson Center for Cancer Care and the Rotary Club of Concord for providing these sunscreen dispensers at the City’s seven outdoor pools this summer," said David Gill, Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Concord. These dispensers will allow everyone the ability to have free access to sunscreen.”

For more information on the hours and locations of the outdoor pools please visit www.concordparksandrec.com