The Choose Your Cover skin cancer awareness, education and free screening initiative began as a small pilot program on Long Beach Island, NJ, to reach out to those people deemed most at-risk for skin cancer – those who live, work and play on or near the beach. The program was developed by the Ocean Monmouth Health Alliance, the NJ Office of Cancer Control and Prevention, and the NJ Governor’s Task Force on Cancer Control, Early Detection and Treatment in 2008. This program has been expanded from that original site to multiple sites statewide.
Each year in Atlantic and Cape May County, Choose Your Cover Cancer Screening events occur at local beaches. This includes a free skin cancer screenings, complimentary sunscreen and educational information on skin protection. A collaboration of the Cape Atlantic Coalition for Health and local dermatology offices join together to fight melanoma and other skin cancers and to reduce the risk of skin cancer in the local community. Because of these efforts, numerous participants of Choose Your Cover screening events have received the benefits of early detection, education, and will adopt sun-safe prevention behaviors.
Unfortunately the Choose Your Cover skin cancer screening events were cancelled in the summer of 2020 due to COVID. We look forward to providing these events again in the future.
Date Updated: 12/1/20
