HealthAlliance Hospitals Partner to Provide Free Skin Cancer Screenings

Free melanoma and other skin cancer screenings will be available to the public on April 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Advanced Dermatology, 315 Grant Ave. in Lake Katrine, in partnership with HealthAlliance Hospitals, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth).

The painless, quick visual exams — performed by Kenneth T. Kircher, DO, FAOCD, a board-certified dermatologist and member of the HealthAlliance medical staff, along with Lia Basso, PA-C, and Emily O'Carroll, PA-C — will be done through the SPOTme skin cancer screening program, the American Academy of Dermatology's longest-standing public health program.

Screening appointments are required and can be made by calling the HealthAlliance Oncology Support Program at 845-339-2071.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, striking one in five Americans. More people in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined, the American Cancer Society says.

"While skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, it is also one of the most preventable — and it is most often very treatable when detected early," said Arlene Cohen, RN, an advanced oncology certified clinical nurse specialist at HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus.

"Unlike other cancers, skin cancer can be seen on the surface of your skin, making it critical to regularly check your skin for changing or suspicious spots," said Dr. Kircher. "A skin cancer screening from a dermatologist is a visual exam that is painless, only takes a few minutes and could save your life."

Skin cancer is caused by overexposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation. The most common sources of UV radiation on the skin are the sun and artificial tanning beds.