WORCESTER, Mass. - Skin cancer prevention starts with protection from the sun and a lot of sunscreens. 

“When you look at the scope of this project, we are talking about a large amount of green space in the second largest city in all of New England,” Christopher Fay said. 

Fay is a third-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical School and knows the impact skin cancer can have on a family.

“After my father was diagnosed with melanoma, I became more interested in skin cancer prevention programming,” he said. “That was really the start of the project.”

Now, he’s trying to stop skin cancer from affecting more families. With help from the city and the nonprofit Impact Melanoma, Fay is bringing free sunscreen dispensers to Worcester to get more people to protect their skin from the sun. 

“Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer,” Fay said. “It accounts for over 40% of all cancer.” 

What You Need To Know

  • Christopher Fay knows the impact skin cancer can have on a family and wants to stop it from impacting more
  • With help from the city and Impact Melanoma, he is bringing free sunscreen dispensers to outdoor locations in Worcester
  • The dispensers are coming to parks, housing authority locations,  city worker starting points and Polar Park by the end of the month
  • They will offer free, 30 SPF sunscreen​

The dispensers are coming to parks, housing authority locations, city worker starting points and Polar Park by the end of the month.

They will offer free, 30 SPF sunscreen to anyone who needs it.

“There are community members of all ages where sunscreen is outside their regular budget who should be able to enjoy green spaces like this, regardless,” Fay said. 

Fay said harmful UV ray exposure causes almost all cases of skin cancer. He said he wants people to spend time outdoors and the 47 dispensers will help them do it safely.

“Every little bit of protection, however small in the moment, can make a difference in the long run,” Fay said. ​