Stony Brook University has introduced a new initiative to promote sunscreen use on campus. Annalea Trask, program coordinator for Cancer Prevention In Action, and Kerri Mahoney, director of the Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO), have recognized the need for increased awareness about skin cancer prevention among students.
Mahoney noted that students are concerned about skin cancer, prompting CPO to distribute free sun safety kits containing sunscreen and sunglasses. However, more comprehensive measures were deemed necessary. "Several students, including some all-star medical students, were looking into getting Stony Brook University certified as a sun safety campus," said Mahoney. This certification requires campuses to provide free sunscreen.
Coinciding with these efforts, the Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement received a grant from the NYS Department of Health to support skin cancer prevention in Suffolk and Nassau Counties. The grant facilitated the installation of free sunscreen dispensers across the campus.
“One of the initiatives [in the grant] is the placement of sunscreen dispensers in key areas on campus,” explained Trask. The first two dispensers are located in the CPO office and Walter J. Hawrys Recreation Center lobby. Plans are underway to place additional dispensers in other high-traffic areas such as the Student Activities Center and Stony Brook Union.
The dispensers offer SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen from Sunstation USA, which claims its product is all-natural, eco-friendly, and reef-safe. The program's initial phase will last one year, after which its effectiveness will be evaluated.
Peer educators will monitor dispenser usage weekly to ensure they remain stocked. "We hope that coupled with continued educational efforts, the availability of free sunscreen in high traffic areas of campus will support students in reducing their skin cancer risk," Mahoney stated.
Further information on skin cancer prevention is available through resources provided by the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement.