Centegra event targets skin cancer with free screenings

Centegra will host The Road to Healthy Skin Tour at Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center-Huntley from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 8.

Sponsored by the Skin Cancer Foundation, The Road to Healthy Skin Tour features a van that will make more than 80 stops in 24 states to provide free full-body skin exams.

A board-certified dermatologist on the medical staff at Centegra Health System will serve as Centegra’s American Academy of Dermatology adviser for this year’s skin cancer screening program.

“Centegra Health System is proud to provide these important screenings for our community. These skin cancer screenings provide a thorough skin exam to detect any skin cancers or precancerous lesions,” said Amy Moerschbaecher, executive director of medicine and oncology services at Centegra Health System.

“However, these screenings do not take the place of an annual exam by a primary care physician.”

The screenings will take place in private rooms on the van and are quick, easy and potentially lifesaving. The tour will provide printed informational materials and sunscreen samples to help protect skin. Skin cancer screenings take place on a first-come, first-served basis.

In 2011, dermatologists participating in The Road to Healthy Skin Tour at Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center-Huntley screened 128 people and helped detect numerous conditions: one suspected melanoma; 60 suspected actinic keratoses, the most common form of precancerous cells; 31 suspected basal cell carcinomas; and three suspected squamous cell carcinomas.