Dermatology of Coastal Sarasota to hold free skin cancer screenings for county school district employees

Events set for May 1 and May 26

(From left) Jane Thomas, ARNP; Dr. Heidi K. Anderson; and Monika Wrobel, a physician’s assistant, are in practice at Dermatology of Coastal Sarasota. Contributed photo

During Melanoma Awareness Month, Dermatology of Coastal Sarasota (DOCS) will offer free skin cancer screenings to board-hired employees of the Sarasota County School District, the medical practice has announced.

On Monday, May 1 — Melanoma Monday — the screenings will take place at the district’s offices at The Landings, which is located at 1960 Landings Blvd. in Sarasota, a news release says. They will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m., the release adds.

Then on Friday, May 26 — Don’t Fry Day — the free screenings will be offered at the district Transportation Department, located at 301 Old Venice Road in Osprey, from 8 a.m. to noon.

With May designated National Melanoma Month, the American Academy of Dermatology has set aside the first Monday of the month as National Melanoma Monday, the release explains. The goal, the release points out, is “to raise awareness about skin cancer,” and melanoma is “the deadliest of skin cancers.”

Additionally, to help reduce rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, “the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as Don’t Fry Day to encourage sun safety awareness,” the release says.

Dermatology of Coastal Sarasota is located at the intersection of Clark Road and Honore Avenue in Sarasota, near Interstate 75. For more information about Dr. Heidi K. Anderson and her staff, visit www.DOCSofSarasota.com or call 925-3627.